THE BEMNANT

It has been well said that perhaps the most orignal and helpful teach-

ins ot the great prophet Isaiah was his doctrine of the remnant. It was by

this faith that he steadied and kept oourageous his own soul during times

ot tremendous upheaval and disaster. It was by this teaching that he sought

~to give courage and hope to his fellows. No doubt there ~ some who listen-

ed to him. No doubt there were some to whom a new day dawned because of his

helpful preaching. But througllt the long centuries that buve passed since h1B

lips bave grown silent he has brought help und strength and hope to far more

than he was preaching to in his own day.

1.

What does Isaiah mean by the remna~t? He uses the expression again and

again. We ourselves are Q.ui te familiar with the word. When a mother buys a

piece of cloth for a dress, it 1s impossible, as a rule. to use every shred

of it in one dress. ~j>a-ls always something left over. Sometimes enough

for a baby dress. Sometimes 0111y enough to make 'a few squares or a rectangle

to se~ into a quilt. Sometimes maybe a few strings for a rag carpet or a rug.'-~, ( .

'.. ,.",

renmant--commonly known as "hash".

Now these are crude pictures, but it conveys a sI1adow at least of if.aat&r~ .

But these are called remnants. Thanksgiving Day is not far off. It will be

a great day for turkey, but the'rest of the week we shall have to face the

Isaiab thought of the remnant. He was not the first of the prophets to use

"Tile Remnant" Page <.;

the word. .Amos used it when he spoke of the "destruction of Saraaria." He

said -that the rSlnnant of Samaria would be as if one were to rescue parts of

{"-a slaughtered lamp from the jaws of a lion-:-- A leg or a bi t 0 f an ear." Blit

Isaiah meant more than this. A remnant of \illich AIJlOS speaks is a dead remnant.

The remnant of Isaiah is living. It is rich in possibilities. In fact, it is

the hope of the world.

In speaking of' it he takes us into the forest. He shows us an oak tree

that has been cut down. Naturally, that is the end of the tree. But from the

stump there comes a tenciel' green tree. It Grows until it bi:lcomes a saplinr;.

It is a liVing thing. So the renmant of Israel is to be. It is this that makes

it so hopeful:-Its giory0is not in its size, it is not conspicuous because of

its ~uantity, but because of it ~uality. SI~ll and insignificant as it seen~

it has this Glory. That it is a vi tal, growing sOIuethint;. One of the dearest

and most convincing convictions of his heurt vias his faith in tilis reumant.

II.

How did he come by this faith?

1. What he knew of tile nature o.f'God, and what he saw goillt; on 0.[:1011[: the-~ r ..

-t../.,......V'~

people about Lira convinced hin that the nation was facine disaster. InY-aG,Htion,

abou t which I spoke to you las t week, tl10 prophet saw the Lord id,)l and lifted

up. He heard the seraphim cryiI1£ "Holy, Eoly is tl:lB Lord of Hosts." ~

VibS convinced that tilis Holy God was a[;ainst sin. That he hated it. That he

ha ted it with an irresistable 11atred that vlould not endure its beinc on the earth.

'-'he second part of Isaiah's vision of himself and of his people was their

uncleanness. "'iloe is me," he said "for I am undone, 1'OI' I urn b. l,Ji:in of unclean

lips and dwelt in the midst of' a people of uncleC:l.n lips.·j Throuc:h repentenc e and

confession Isaiah found cleansiJJi:::. Du t not so Vii tl. his people. Professing to be

God's chosen, they continued to live in rebellion against God. They practiced

injustice one aGainst another. Tiley resorted to their ovm petty schemes and

ttThe Remnant tl Page 3

and devices. Siding in now wi th Egypt !ind now wi th ..lssyria to save t!lE~mselves

nationally. ...i.s Ii people they were almost wholly without faith.

Now Isaiah with his keen insight could not fail to see that there works

must end in disaster. God. had punished them, but they had not repented.

that they had given up religion altoGet1ler. But wickedness and worship went

hand in hand until the prophet exclaims in desperation "iihy should ye be stricken

anymore? Ye will rebel y~re and m.ore. '" From the crown of your head to the

sole of your feet there is no soundndss in youP. So genuinely convinceu was Is­

aiah tb.at disaster was ahead that he Ill:l.IU8d his second son :;,:aherShalI:11hash~He

did not ;c:.i ve him this name because it was a family name. He certainly did not

eive it to him because of its brevity or its beauty. The main reason was "Speed

to the prey I hasten to the spoil." The boy became a living message of warnin[.

When he introduced him to his friends they would naturally ask "Is that a family

name?" uNo, it means Speed to the prey, hasten to the spoil." It means that

God's chosen people are Going to be destroyed for andi,by their sins.

But while Isaiah was sure of tne coming punishment he could not bring him-t;,~

self to believe that his nation was going~ utterly~destroyed. This was the

case because the nation was not utterly bad. There were a few amont;; the many

W.tlD were yet true to God. There was a pi tiful little minori ty in the midst of a

swag~eriD£ majority that yet stood true. SOI~e of this little handful would be

saved. With this remnant God woula make a new start. ThrOUgh this remnant he

woUld .-aarch on toward the conciuering of the world. This fai th was stronger, if

He decl~red that he and his family

possible, than his belief in"coming disaster. Therefore, he nmned his first born

~ C-R-It 41eant a remnant who Vlere left.Shear jashub. That too was not a falluly name.

lyn tremendous earnest man was Isaiah.

were mS!:J.nt to be signs to his people. .As the brilliant statesman walked about

he would in troduce these 00YS. "TIlis is my first born Shear jashub." "A queer

name" one would reply. !tHow did you come to Give that to your son? It is cer-

"The Remnant" Page 4

tainly not a f9Illily name." "Ho" said the prophet, "it is a name given in hope

and faith. It means a remnant shall be left. It is a declaration of my convic-

tion that the hope of the world is not in the many, but in the few. Not in the

swaggering majority, but in often seemingly insi~nificantminority.

III.

Now this faith that steadied Israel is one that is needed by ourselves.

It is ioportant that we impress upon Our own hearts this truth. This is the

case for at least two or three reasons.

1. We need to remind ourselves of tre irnportanct: of the minori ty because

of our tendency to worship bi~ness. Size has always been impressive, but I

daresay no people have been more impressed by it than we Americans. We certainly

tend to wars_tip at the shrine of' what one has called "jumboism". Jumbo, you

r::now, had just one distinction. lIe was the big,;est elephant in captivi ty. And,

as if that were a supreme merit, we want the biggest of everything••le want to

have the biggest cities, we want the biCGest possible fortunes, we want to live

in the bigt-est house, to belong to the bit:;, est church, and to bb. ve the biggest

preac:her. And the bigges t preacher is the one who has the big ges t crowd.

But mere biggness is never a real asset. A writer said sometime ago that

six hundred thousand people were out at Coney Island on a single Sunday. How

impI16ssi ire :Jnat did their presence mean? He gave the aIlswer "It meant peanuts

and popcorn," that was all. They .,'ere out on no q,uest, they were on no crusade.-~

Yet, I.B£r6. no less of an authority than a great scientist q,uestion Christianity,

the truth arid the value of it) because he said less than one out of ten in a cer­

tain ci ty went to church on Sunday norning. "ie need to sit at th0 feet of Isaiah

to learn the futHi ty of mere bigness. TIle nations that were tl'oublinC Israel

were big nations, but they tire all dead today in spite of their size. SOUle of

•

"The Remnant" Page b

the pre-historic animals were enormous creatures, but they died neverthel~ss,

they became extinct. Often size does not count.

2. Then we need Isaiah's faith because it 1s true the hope of the world

is almost in the few, never in the many. Every advancement of science, every

discovery, every step in raoral progress has almost come at the hands of the

few. Never at tIle hands of the many .,Iho first rt:lbelled at::ainst slavery?

Against polytheism? Against infanticide? Against all the evils that vex the

ancient world? It was not the many, but the few.

'.then Jesus was crucified there were ten thousand of voices raised aGainst

111m to everyone that was for 111m. Ht:l was doomed to death by an almost unanimous

vote. But there was a pitiful little nandful that believe in him. They ha6.

knovm Him intimately and well u.nd had more to do with tile passins of tIle future.

The howl of the mob was a UlOllwntary noise and nothing more. But this petty

minority went out to re-make the world.

What is the hope of St. Luke's Church? It is certain~y not in its numbers.

'ile have a luembership of some four thousand, but lllany of those names are liabilities

1'0.ther than asse ts. The hope of the ChUl'ch is not in its numbers, but in the

whofew are really loyal to the IvIaster uod the things for which he stands. Every

forward step, every real revival has been begun and carried forwurd, not by the

many, but by the few. It does not take many people for God to use for a victor-

ious Il1oveoen t . But those tho. t he uses raus t be t;enuine. And the genuine are al-

ways in the minori ty, never in the rila j ori ty • Therefore, the hOile of the world is

in the remnant.

;). 1"inally we need this for our own enceJura[ement. If we look ubroad today

anG. see only the seen, we tire likely to become discouraged. The crowds al'e not

corning in our direction, but the tilincs that sibnit'y reve never been vastly im-

pressive. If you had been in Caesarea Philippi ndllleteen hundred years ago as a

shrewd newspaper reporter, you vIDuld 118ve found a thousand things 1n the Rowan

!"The Remnant" Page 5

Empire than that little meeting where Jesus sait down with twelve friends.

But the Roman Empire is dead while those twelve

while the f'tiitllzr:r-V/hiCh they stood is the hop\:::

well still ruurch on, and

of the world. Let us ttlen

thank God for the remnant. Tile reliious life of tile Church,mmy timds, r,as

been at a low ebb, but there has always been a remnant. T!~re is always some

good so11, and there are always a few who have not defiled their garments. Let

us also dtire to pray tllat we LUI):lt be a part of that small [roup to wnicn Jesus

Christ is looking. These are the ones that are to salt the earth.

The indictment is as true of us as of them. Often when we wish to rebuke

geese at a time. Having caught them. he would tag a leg of each goose with an

Yet you go on sowing Y011r tares qn~ reaping your. . ~

bruises. and putrifying sores.

Let us look brief~ at our present situation and see how we Fot that way.

u

is largely responsible for the tragedy that we are now suffering.

figh ting and bleeding world has ever known. We"B:!e, facing the most stupendous threat

to, a.ll that we hold dear that any generation!?;, .~ver faced.. Other despots thro~

the centuries have stalked abroad upsett1ngJQ~I,~"~:Ii.1tlSand making the continents. . "'L,h'~":\,::~?' .,:--'"

1. We are engaged in the grimmest wa:r on'thEjl widest scale that our persistently

aluminum t~. Had he caught the same goose twice. he would have known it. :But

touch a spring and close these gates. ~U8. he would often catch as many as sixty

in all the years this has never happened. Yet ~e get caught in the same trapsI

generation after generation. We are so s+ow to learnl It is this slowness that

somebody we call him a goose. But what a slander agp,inst the goose! Geese can

sins, ~suffering the same dire consequences. You refuse to learn."

learn. Years ago I vi si ted Jack Minqr. the Canadian bircl-man. He showed me a

They know where they find food. They do not f!,0 to the desert for refreshment. But

dumber than the donkey. The ox knoweth his owner. and the ass his master's, crib.

ghastly harvest. You are duller than the stolid ox. It he continues. "You are

itaught them nothing.hf '

!l Why , 9 he asks in gri eved a:ma.zelllel).h ,lleh.op.1(~\la'>p'~'/'$;t~),ui;Y more' 1:e wi 11"~_ < ",' .""" "-;' '''';:'~:,~':::'i':'''~'';,:<,,_

revol t more and more; the whole head is stck. and t:tl~ wh.9l~'~artf".ain t. From the, , t.: '

~~ cunning arrangement he had for trapping wild geese. There were two lakes

joined b,y a ribbon of water. This ribbon of water was wired in~th a gate at

., each end. When the geese were passing from one lake to another. Jack Mi~i?r could

;" "you are not so "Tise. You keep falling into the same traps. commi tUng the same_>.i'tj<r:'C;~::-~~-1": ',-' _

/7

-,to tremble. But never have the blood-thirst,y gangsters of any ~eneration been so

powerful. as today. There is absolutely no value that we of the United Nations

possess that is not threatened by the'despotic powers that are now arrayed against

us.

What are these powers seeking to do? ~'hey are seeklng to enslave all mankind.

They have been clear-eyed enouph to see that our world has now become one world.

It is no longer merely so many isolated scraps called nations; it is a single

globe. Germany and Japan are seeking to make this world one in its sla,very to

themselves. And lest I should forget to say it later, what they are seeking to

do through the exercise of despotic power we must seek to do throu¢h the exercise

of democratic powers. We are to make this world 'a federation of free nations, or

1 t will become li ttle more t~an a hord.i of slaves.

Now 1 t was to avoid thi s tragedy of en !'llavement anet the 10ss of all we hold

.dear that we entered this war. It was to anert this tragedy that you have given

your sons and daughters. It wa,s to avert'this tragedy that these gallant sons

and (laughters have given and are nving themselves. None of us made the gift

gleefully. We have sung few sanae in prei se of this war. We have not been a,ble

to gird ourselves with any of the bracin~ slopans of a quarter of a century ago.

Instead we have gone grimly about the task, because we have no deli?pt in war.

On the contrary, we hate it With every fiber of our being. We are fighting,

therefore, because, thoup~ we know war for a deadly evil, we regard it in this

instance as the lesser of two evils.

When we fought the last war. our attitude was far different. We had great,

ringing words on our lips then that made war look almost beautiful. We were

fighting a War to end war. We were figbting to make the world safe for democracy.

We were going ~o usher in a new and better day. The needy people of EUrope were

calling to us and we responded wi th Mgt-hearted enthusiasm. Listen to the calla

,~\1

\1I

,

IIiI

II!I!

I

Take up our quarrel with the foe;To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break fai th wi th us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields."

Listen to our gallant answer. It was f-iven, I think, in sober sincerit,y.

"Rest ye in peace, yeFlanders deadJThe fight that ye ~o _bravely ledWawJ~."Ife taken uPil(,ttnd we will keepT~'.em- fei th \'n th ;you who lie asleep

.",,·\11 th each a cross to mark hi s bed..... -­~d poppies blowing oveftead I~~&>- once hi s own lif.:i3100d ran red.

Aro let your Sl,eep be sw~ I;lIld deepIn Flanders field J•

,,#'........Fear not tha t ~e have died for nau€"htr )The flg.g,·~ tnrew to us we caught,Ten ng, lli on hands will hold it hi~h,

And freedom's liPAt will never die.w.e.-Ai.e lea.rned the le seon tha t ~\,ou taught

In Flanders field7$'1 !\~",

~&T!S];i'ij'IIfJtP-'!lIlfi p8Ji!IF 1 , rCMr~

I ""''''""",, n Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,Tha. t mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely sin~ing, fly

t_,~,arce heard amid the guns belOW~)'.

Weare the Dead. Shor t day s agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields. '

What came of our gallant response? Very much came of it. :By our help the

three great'democracies, the United States. England, and France, won the war.

For thi s reason they had the ma1dng of the pegce. But the supreme opportunity

belonged to us of America. We came out of the war honored and respected as no

other nation has ever been. For this reason no other nation has ever had so big

a chance to serve ann l'lave the world. To add to our opportunity, we had as our

President that great world citizen, Woodrow Wilson. This ~An sought earnestly to

keep fai th with the past and wi th the future by proposing the Leaglle of Nations.

With multitudes of others I believe that if we had entered wholeheartedly into

thi s League, in spi te of its imperfections, we could have conserved the peace of

judgment of mankind. When the League was first proposed, the idea met with anA/

almost unive~ welcome from a war-weary world. Practically everybody recognized

the need of it and the sanity of it. How, I repeat, was it defeated? It was

..the world ~d saved ourselves and our fellows from plunging into the ab7S1 of

blood and tears in which we now find ourselves.

What defeated this great and hopeful dream? It was not the enlightened

II

defeated by a stupid selfishness, a selfi shne'ss that refused to think. Of. course,

a complete selfi shness is always stupid. But there is such a thinp: as an enlightened

~l+...;Lnterest. .Bu.t we failed to attain even thi s. First, it was attacked '!:>y

certain self-seeking politicians. These appealed to whp,t is ba.sest and blindest

in us. They set us to talking of the absurdity of our obligating ourselves to

fight the battles of EUrope. Under their influence we began to give utterance to

I f' that devil' s .cry,,-Q~. "America first! n We became isolationists, eager to let the... \ ..

. remainder of the world go to hell in its own way.

Thus. we missed our big chance to help the world and to save ourselves. Of

course, I am not implying that ours is the only ~ilt. Enrland and France played

perhaps a more pathetic part then we, for which they have paid a terrible price•

.Bu.t even theirs is not the supreme guilt. The supreme guilt belongs to the

gangster nations that attacked us. Yet,we need'to remember.tha.t it·wa.s our blind-

ness and selfi shness that helped to make their attack possible. Thus, today we

reap according to our own sowing.

III

Now the question is what are ",e going to do with our next opportunity! There

are a few reasonable certainties that ~e may face together that ought to give us

hope.

1. I think we can. hOW be ~re beyond a peradventure that we are going to win

the war. That in i helf will be a great achievement. Of course, there is that

in the t~tarianstate, su.ch as the Germany oCfUtler, thp,t would have wroug)lt

11

its own destruction sooner or later. The same is true of Japan. But it might

have taken decades, even a century. But these outlaw nations that have wrought

so much wreclmge are even now on their way out. It seems IU:l.... that they are

. headed for a certain and early defeat.

2. A seeond fact to which we ~ look forward wi th hope and joy is that when

the victory is won the big major! ty of our boys and pirls are coming home. That

'will be a red-letter da;y. .aut let u~ bear in mind thR,t they are not coming just""

as they went away. They went a'ltEfy younp.:--younp.: in body and youne-: in heart. Some

of them are coming back old, at lepst old in their lonk-outon life. The terrible

experiences through which they have passed will ha~e aged them. They have known

suffering. The: have faced death. They have been through experiences that have

tried their souls. Some of them will never be ~-ounF any more. Some will be

changed'in other ways. Those possessed of a vital fai~ will likely come back

with one that is more vital. Some of those who carried with them to the fight

no real religion will probably come back hardened and embittered, soured on the

church, for not having prevented the hell throurh which they have passed. Some

will be \'iounded in body; others will be wounded in soul. I'fa.n~T will feel that

life has cheated them, that they have been lI'obbed of a priceless treasure that the

world can-never fully restore. But with all their changes. this is our joy__they

are coming back.

3. In the third place) when the war is over and the boys come home. in the

providence of God, we are going to have another chance to build a sec'xre ~orld.

If we fa~l. perhaps the next generation will ret a chance to remedy our failure.

But many of our wisest men doubt this. The present war is on a far vaster sce~e

than the first world war. With the new inventions that 1ilcience will develop in

the next quarter of a century, it is easy to believe that a third world war would

absolutely devastate the earth. This chance. therefore, that we are soon to face

is one that i~ supremely important. Can we take aitvantage of it? Are we wise

enough to learn from our mi stakes! Are we humble enough and trustful enough to

> '

,ltp usa lor un'S, ,Jlfjl &.

give God a chance to do for us and through us what we cannot do for oursalvea7 If

not, our Lord will have to say to us what he said through his prophet to thos~

bunglers of the long ago, "~ people doth not consider."

Row are we to go about the building of a secure world?

1. We msrt:'aliZe that we are a part of the world. There was a time in the

great west when every man was a soverei~ individual. He was a law to himself.

He carried his own-sixfshooter, stood on his own feet, and defended himself. At

le8.et he tried to defend himself, but often he filled an untimely grave because

his enemw beat him to the draw. Then, for the sa~e of his own safety and for the

safety of others, this rugged indivldual1gt g!'ve up his six-shooter and began to

look to the courts to give him the protection he needed. Thus, he and all his

fellow citizens had a safer world in which to live. He did this, I say, largely.

. for his own safety., '."..

Now just as the sovereirn individualist passed, so must the sovereign state.

The nation that is absolutely independent is as completely outmoded. as the indivi-

dual. We must form a federation with other nations, not simply for their protec-

tion, as i mportan t as that is, but ...~ I passed a terrapin on the high-for z .". own.

way the 0 ther day. He was an isolationist. So when the world about him seemed to

be growing dangerous, he drew in every foo t, he drew in hi shead, he shut out

everybody but himself. But the rest of the world refused to take notice; S'RJ a

passing car ended his career. Even so, nations in our modern world cannot possi bly

stand alone. Between the wars ~ome of us tried ~ain and again to get across

thi s word of warning: ' Ei ther America is going to help the world make peace or

i~ is going to help the world ~~~e war. That was as true as the law of gravitation

then. It is equally true today.

2. Not only must we assume our responsibility as a part of the world, but

we mst realize that peace is a positive something. It means flU" more than a mere

cessation of war. When Rome had conquered the world. she enforced a certain kind

than the peace of life. Jesus............

But the peacet~ers that he counted,.... _....... ,,-

fi~ht. but tho~e who helped to dis-

of peace, but it was the peace of death rather. ~

pronounced a blessing upon the pea~~~ers.

....blessed were not thofle who mere/J refused to

place war with a positive peace•.Tb.at is, those are blessed who seek the destruc-

tion of those evils that made war all but a certainty.

Therefore, if we are to be peacetmakers we mu.stseek to di splace ill will wi th.~

good will, unbrotherlinese wi th brotherliness. ~le mu.s~ so faT REI in us Ues) see

that the freedoms for which we have fOUf~t become the possession of our fellows

everywhere. They must be the possession of the minority groups within our own\

borders. We cannot wronf: or rob the wAMest amon~ us wi thout unspeakable peril

to ourselves. We must also seek to share these freedOMS with tho~e in the utter-

most parts of the earth. The nation that tries in any fasbi. on to exploit a weake_r

nation in any part of the world ml1st not be allowed to get away wi th it. There

must be a federation of nations with power to enforce justice and peace.

//

3. I realize that to many of us this task seems ~reat beyond our powers.

Of course. it is too great for any individual or any single group of individuals.

But we can help to bring it about if we \'/ork together. rUt~:~e' i"s ~~omethingcloser home that we'can do. When our boys return they are goin~ to need as they

have never needed before the uUr'lertrlrding of alolarm. realistic religious faith.

That need vIe can help to meet by the Christianiztnr, of our own homes and by the

enriching of the spiritual li'fe of our own church. There are certain things that

with the presence of our living Lord that to enter its doors will be to be greeted

Our boys should be able to find

For the!"! to do tl'i s we need acburch that is so warmtheir Avalon in our church.

were said to go to Avalon for rest and healing?

1?i"'1U;Sc own',gracious invitation: "Oomeu.nto me. all ye tha,tlabor and are heavy

'.'-f,'_ ';-K'~," "-!- _. .

",'·i';l.aden. and I will give you· rest. Take my yoke upon you. and learn of me; for I

am lD8ek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls For nw yoke

. is easy. and IIJY' burden is light."

. Second, if we are to render the largest service t~.~ to our

returning soldiers. we must have achureh roo~ enough in its faith to inspire

and .c!>.allenge ,men who have been fighting a world war. These men have been in the

uttermost parts of the earth. They have heard men sing the songs of Zion in a.

t;l:tl".a,J:lge. land.. I think of that letter that came from a sQldier boy in ,Gua.daJ.,oanaJ..~t~~l:'t;'~."" . ;..... ',. "

BoA group of nat!ves came down from the hills." he wri tea. "We gathered about to

hear them si118 their native songs. But instead, they san~ the old hyrms that we

used to hear back home." No wonder their hearts were stran?ely warmed1Men who

have received a world view are not likely to be ~ipped by any religion that has

a smaller ambi~ion than the conquest of the hearts of all mankind."

Third, rand· most important of all. if we as Chri stians are to render the best

possible service to our returning sons and daughters, we must have.' a church sacri-

ficial enough to command the respect and allegiance of those who have been willing

to dare all for their flag. In order to be victoriously Christi~, it is not nece&­

. sa.ry that we have vast talents to give. It i,s absolutely necessary that we give.J ()//

what we have•. If when our boys come home/they find us willin~ to learn from the

tragic mistakes of yesterd8¥; i£ they find us glad to go forward sacrificially to

the building of a better world for all men; then they will go forward wi th us to

our common task. in the fellowship of our common Lord. God grant "that we fail

not man nor fheel B

I

',J::-~, )::',

".......,.,

,,m;m,S'!D~:a.ilU)~..... IS.u.AH" - ' "'.,.' -.,' .- , .. ".', , -' '-', ,~ .•''', " '(' '\t·' , " "

. ""'::,,.'.,- J,'

IIThen ,sa1l'tfl,~ll.;\,a.JIll;.sena. me.· Isaiah Eh8-" .'_'c ... ,.: ;,·... 1, t ,J" ,'.: :~, -. ,:-.,: ,.•.. ,,' -',

('!;'::'\,q,,; ,', :. ". '. ,"'" ,;,:(, .,' ;', , I;j:;'t:~~S:\~r~lf,,1.g0ocito be atth1.·;tiCen$:.£i:·Jt:~;r.,:thegreatest state Small ,of his ~

:~'~~'::f)(J~?/:~~);:~-:~"~;'\;:'~"::. .".'. <.. \ ". ..! ':.:' _ " , "~ , • ' , I

~';,~~~;::::::::7:d::=~1'a~::::~e:::~:a.:. ~.bej::og:'~;:~that he was and to r~n.der the service t:h~1; 'he rendered. 'He is'tell~ngf

, " . . , - I~w he, became for. ~e own ~tion and tor the nations of the world U Uf18?14fng

;.:pl,a.c.froJl the wind and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in ~ dry>"'1'

'l9-ace, &&ttshadow of a great rock in a barren land. J Here is the beglnn1rg of

said I. Here am I. send me. II IIJI,I '

iI

l t .......,\ ' !. '; Ioucau see that the~of Ollr text is a backward looking wo~, I

It is an 1ndexf1nger POinti~g at something that 'took: place1n' the' yesterd~s.'. ·~!1!.,.,;, . ,,'; \"",

!!'he' pJ'Ophe~/~T.b1g t4e varied stepethat l.ad to hi. volunt••ring fO~J;~,w.e 01

JI prQli!~et. ,'<>1) , x 4,', 1. The first event to which this then points is to a great, sOl'row auf'. " ,'I~peat se~s.~ di 108s that had come to I sa!ah through th~ death of his ldIlft

, , I

U'z~$",.!J!lrte king had had the most successful reign since /the d~s of Dan and

.SoloJnQ~. ' He had been upon the throne for more than a half' 9f a centU!7.

the' oldest' of ~he people could remem~r a d~ when there was lmother king.. ~

Naturally this great leader had come to occu:P1 apecu.liarplace in the hearts

of hi B people. Na tu.r~ly he .had' beC?pme foryo~g men, like I sa! ah the bu.lJrrk

of their confidence. t .. i

:But now thi s great king is dead,. a. had not died f1~t~ng vietori0t',sly.

, on. the field of battle.' He had not even died in his llalace. He had died' n a ,, ,

. .1It

/'

J!\' .~. ARI 51:~.aa.:rlU ,.t"lUHiI!l"l' •••.f'age 2

r ,f.,'

. pest house, the victim of a loathsome disease. To the sensitive soul of

youthful I salah, it was a terrible blow. He was amazed and stunned. As he

turned hi s eye,s toward the future, there seemed li ttle for which to hope.

The one on whom hi s confidence had rested was dead.

What did this brilliant youth do 7 Where did he turn when life's

blackest hour came upon him 7 In what did he hope, when hope seemed dead 7.\

rUnder such circumstances" some grow bi tter and wail in self-pity wi th Karole.t,

".The world is out of joint, Oh cursed plight that I was ever born to set i ~;,

right." Where do you turn when things go desperately wrong r Others watc~ to

see. where we take shelter when the storm breaks upon us. When I salah came :to

his blackest hour he went to church •

Now that sounds tr1 te I know. The 1f,uoisee also went to church.i

But he was no better for going. Perhaps he was a little.more hopeless, a ~ittle

more sat! sfied with himself. But look at th1 s ~oung man. He is just out df his1,

teens. He is a blue-blood. He ,is at home in ldngs' palaces. But he is

hi s steps toward Gmt s hou see It is good to see a man tUrn hi s steps in,

direction regardless of his age, but it is doubtly good to see one do SO

life's green spring.

,tr1ng

t~at!

wl1.o is in!i,i\'

Young Isaiah '-"went to church. Then what 7 He gives us the answ~r in hisI

own words "I saw the Lord"'. The church of his day was not perfect, nei$her jisi .

the church of our dq. :But with all of it,s faults, it 1s the one inst1tut~on,

whose supreme purpose 1s to help men find God. It was at church that this)1

youthful genius came to an awareness of that God, WhOle sear~g hand is ialways feeling for yours and mine, both in the d~light and 1n the dark. He

came a"fBY wi th this great confession upon his 11ps, "I saw the Lord. II

j

Of cour~,~ thi s experience does not come to all of us who attend church.:, I

Bu.t the fact that it does not ,i s not the fault of our Lord, bIlt of ourselves.

lsai8h saw the Lord because' he was seeking Him. He saw the Lord 'because he had

~........._......_......._..._... _.."_..~~-- .~._--~---"""".,-]

left out the' S11preme and inclusive reason.

Sometime ago one of ou~ most brilliant ~nisters wrote an article on

"I~ ,

k

, ,

m ARt STOCRATI C PROPHE!l" Page 3.

,come to' the end of himself. RaaJ.i zing that he could no longer hope in a ldng,

he was in earnest quest of ll1e Xing~ Perhaps the most difficult barrier thatlI

God has to overcome in revealing Himself to yOu and me, is our se1f-confidencr'

Isaiah found God in this desperate hour because he had come to realize that +thing

I less than God would do.

How long are you and I going to be wi thout a sense of' God in' our live sfI

Ju.ta. long aq v. are cou teut to be vi thout 111m. I t vas o~ vhen th.t emi

raseed host"in Jesus' ~mmortal story,found that his larder was empt;} that he Idared

appeal to his ,friend, declaring- n A friend of mine has come and I have nothi~g toi

set before him. I Even so, we find ourselves inadequate, individually and na11on-;

aJ.1y. unless we h~e God. I t is only when the hea"9Y hands of a great need ~p:,

our shoulders and crush us to our knees that we really seek in such a fashio~ as

Ito find. Youthful Ise1ah was face to face with veils through which he could Inot ••• end door. to vhich he hei\;O key, hence he .ought the L.ord end found rim.

IWhat was the outcome of this vision of God" ,

I1. First it brought a vision of himself. When this choice young man b1ca.me

aware of God, he did not shout for joy, he rather sobbed. We dare not pr~ 10r a

vi si on ot God unless we are willing to have the littleness and meanness bu.rn~d.' Iout 9f us. I saiah was perhaps as clean and upright young III8a as was alive a,

that time. Y,et in th~ presence of God. he cried, "Woe is me 1 for I am und,e;

because I an a man of unclean lips." I1

ii

!!'he Vanishing Sinner. He undertook to explain w~ we do not. feel a vivid se4se _

of sin such as our fathers felt. He gave some very sa~\easons,'but I thi~ he

IWe ha.ve lost our sense of sin be1ause

we have lost our sense of God. It ~ be ea~ for us to feel quite comtortat1eI

in the presence ot each other. We are quite as tall as our neighbor, perhaps Italler,.

mE ARt STOCRATI C 1'IOJ'EUIT P~e i

..But such is not the case when we come to realize the presence of the holy God.

It is then we cry wi th 1ssish. "Unclean."

against the background of the scribes and Pharisees, but against the backg:r~d!

of the dying 14-. at his side who has Just prayed, "Father, forgive them for Ithey

!

That is what happened to that great revolut1o~ary who died beside Jesu!si

long ago. He was an ardent patriot. He had begun hi ~ eareer wi th a high ~o8e.-

R. I .

the liberation of his people. e had lived .sacrificially and a'ourEfgeou.s IY!'.' ~eveIl;I

he, had becoJDe an outlaw. As he looked upon the religious leaders that were ~athered

iabout him. he towered above them morally and spiritually as a moun tain above! a

imole hill. Yet we hear him confessing that th~ he is suffering the very fpangS

,I (

I

rof hell, he is suffering Justly.

iW'hat has happened to him 'I He see s himse~ not, .

if

know not what they do." Always to have a sense of God is to have a. sense o~ sin.

.easily that we are not all that we ought to be.

!

the presence of God, "1 have heard of Thee by !~~~~~~

now ~ m1ne eye, seeth Thee.1II' .»ep8llt illii·3 abh~xjI

This accounts for the fact that the most bitter confessions of sin ar~

al\iays made. not by the worst of men, bllt by .the best. Any of us can conte ~sI!

:But when we hear those con"

ifessions that burst from tortured hearts and agom zed lips, confessions hot i

. come !with Shame and wet with tears, theyyg'enera:i;l~/fromthe lips of the saints.!

.It is saintly Job who cries in

~the hearing of the .... but

fUt.,~-t:rlv'll8l:f in duat and ashes."

lf

iI!.I

Now having become conscious of hi s sin, thi s gifted young man poured

Then what 'I

He tells hi s story in dramatic fashion;

out his prayer of confession.

He was forgiven. He was re-JQade.

,~'ha t happened which always happ~s.

I!

"Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, whileh/ I I

he had taken wi th the tongs from off the altar; and he laid it upon II\Y mout~

land said, Lo. thi s ~ath touched thy lips; and thine iniqui ty is taken away I

Li

, .."....

and thy sin purged.-i

Thi s was hi s experience because it was true then as i ~ is,

" ,

THE ARI STOCRATIC 'PROPHET•••:Page 81:

, tru.e todqr-"If we oonfess our sins, Heis faithful and just to forgive

sins and to oleanse us of all unrighteousness. n

ourI!

the Lord I

It was after this experlenoe that he heard the y,olbEPfotfbay1hg: "WhomI

shall I send, and who will go for us '" Th1 s g1 ve s us an in sight in to thei realI

mooning of forginn.... lIbat.1o it to be forgiven 1 Again end again J ••+said to men and women in His own d81', nThy s1 ns are forgiven." What did Hel ~an 1

• , ISuch forgiveness means far more than the remission of a penalty. It me ansi far '

more than the rubbing out of a reoord that is blaok. I t means the restora~ionII

of a fdlowsh1p. It means that God takes us back into His oonfidenoe. , ISfdeh

had no sooner confessed h.t!8~unclemmess than he was forgiven and trusted 4th

a great m1 seion. Just how God called him w~ are not told. From the con'te~t.

the need of hi s fellows.

His own need had "oeen f"or the forgiving love of God.

is also that about it that is abiding and universal.

rience Isaiah has at least three definite words to say to us:

Iit would seem that He oalled him through the realization of the needs of o~her~.

That, h. r.ali.od, wr.

I

Then came the f"inal step. In the realization of what God had done fpr

him, in tho r.alization of tho n.od of hi. f.llow., ho mad. tho gr.at doCi~on,­aHere am I, send me." Having thus pa.t himself in God' B hands, God ao.oePte~ end

, I

m.... • Iused him. ""ae road upon which he sent this youthful volunteer was a hard jd, , I

lonely road, bl1t he did no t have to walk it alone. nor did he walk it in vine

More than once this courageous prophet stood between hi s nation and its r'4n.I

Since that far off dq be has not oeased to speak both to individuals and rations.

He has a word that is vital for you. end me and for ,our needy day. I

III INow, of course there is that about Isaiah's story that is unique. Hie

Iis the experience of a young aristocrat Who lived in the eighth oentury before

I;

Christ. Yet while there h that about his exPerienoe that is unique, therelIIAs 8. result at his e~-!i

I,, J

l~ •

~"''''''''''''''''':-'"}''''~''''''-'~'-''''''

I

alsolai

of de~ency,

r',

THE ARISTOCRATIC PROPHET Page 6

I', 1. First he declares joyfully that as he experienced the forgiviI?-g

grace of God, so may we. For what really happened to Isaiah was thatihe

was born anew. That experience is a universal privilege •. It is

universal necessity. ThereLis no substitute for it. No amount

no amount of giving, no amount of working can take the place of it. teI

can Bltr'Vehi~raec.thjr:.a1. It is the one answer to that longing tha~

every man feels at some time if not all the time, "Oh for the manto $rise

in me, that the man I am may cease to be."

Naturally we do not all come to this experience int-the same way. I For

this reason, some are discouraged at not having a dramatic and revolu.

tionary experi~ce such as this of Isaiah or that of Paul in the N,~ tes-

tament. But these were both mature men. Boys and girls can be so

l

trained as that they will come into the knowledge of God in a less reyo-t

lutionary fashion. I am told that there is a certain flower in the tropicsi

that bursts into bloom with a report like'the cracking of a-rifle. B*ti

Ithat is not the way the roses bloom in my garden. At evening there i, aI

bud. That night the dew weeps its tears upon that bud. The next mor~ingJ

the sun kisses the tears away and that rose blooms 80 quietly that no~

even the bee that was gathering nectar at the heart of it heard th&,i

slightest noise. Yet my flower is as really open as that one that pr~-

claims its opening by a loud noise. IIn every congregation there are those who can tell the day and t~e

I

hour when they passed out of death into life. But always there are Qthersj

who find it impossible to fix the date of their spiritual birth. Yeti oftenI

those who could not tell you the day when they first met the Lord are!II

living in greater intimacy with Him than some who have experienced a ~udden

:conversion. Remember, the significant fact is, not how and when you I

Ientered into a knowledge of God, but have you really come to know B1m~

2. To all men, as to Isaiah, comes this question: "Whom shall I ~end-' have J2.!!.ssed ,

and who will go for us'?" It comes whether we/through Isaiah'5o experie:(lcei;

'-•

THE ARI STOCRATIC PROPHET- Page 7

I. or not. God gives to every man his work. If any man, anywhere, anytime. re~ponds

ii

affirma.ti vely to God' s appeal, God accepts that men, transforms him and uses himI

for Hi s glory. No man is condemned in any dq to be a part of the di sease, ~very

man is called upon to be a part of the remedy.

~ of our churche.s are now engaged in a Crusade for Christ.i

You kno,J: )

what a crusader ls. He is not one who is fighting a defensive war bu.t an

offensive. He is out in the fellowship of his God to get somethin~ done, th4t

simply will not ge t done wi thout him. Who is to take pa.rt in thi s crusade 1 •

Answer - Everybody, every man, every woman, every boy, every ~rl. God' scalI is

for you personally as if you were the only individual alive. It is to you personally

as if ~rouwere God's one hope for a. better world.

3. The final abid1n~ fact about thi s experience 1 s, tha,t to thi s call that

comes to every man, e~ex7', man mu.st make some kind of response. Perhaps the~eI

will be those whO re~ond condi tionally. They will say "yes" to God provided;I

those about theD. make a:'1ike response. But this is not enough. When by the !lake-\ I

side, Jesus called to Simon Peter, "Follow me" Simon turned and looked a.t Joijn.

These two had been together for a lon~ time. They had been partners in the f

fishing bu.s1ness before Jesus had come their wrq. :Lhey had entered His service

~ogether. !herefore, Simon asked, "What shall this man do 1" 'What is that .0 thee ,"I

was the stern ~esponse of ~e Master, "Follow thou me". Your obedience mnst ~ot be

conditioned on the obedience of others.')

i'

Then there are others who willlieax .1!d 1 ~ti 1': e;'Eg t thi e apPeal of

our Lord and yet will hesita~e to respond because the task looks so hopeless~

Scores of nations in our world tod~ are tortured wrecks. Our whole world h~sb~ I

been set updJ)/1irigands who have wounded Rnd stripped 1t and left it half de4'\d.

Of course. we would like to get this ilottured world on its feet once more. i\1t

the task is so bi g. Therefore, because we can' t 40 everything, some of us will

refuse to do ~th1ng.·

,~ , J

·m ARI STOORATlC PROPHET ~ . PAGE 8•.',.' ,

,'.. I 'f' l :aut whe.t really is God asking a tyour hand B ~d mine 7. He is asking~ '. t'

so,tfing that is within reach of the weakest as well as the strongest. It

the rhach of the unsoiled hands of little children. It is wi thin reach of

It is wi thin reach of the bu.sy hands of those in the stress of m1ddl" life.

can all sq, "Rere am I, send me" •. That is the least that any man can say

a Chri stian at all. That i~ the most that any man can say in time

To B~' that is not to do all pv""'. that ,we should like to do. but 1tis

the will of God and that ,is enough. For all men to say that,would make a ew

world in a single day. That fine consummation ~ be many centuries in the II

future t but each of us can help toward it thi s d~ by saying "Here am I, se,d

i

me. "

<--,,

f ~

/t

"•, ~..11: I

~~i~'!~0\!~'~~~~"\""j~~ ".• "U~\,. - ~

HOW TO STAY YOUNG----"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the

young men shall utterly fall:"But they tha t wait updm the Lord shall renew their

strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;they shall. run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,and not faint." Isiah 40:30-31

The Bible is a plain-spoken book. At times it seems that

it is almost brutal in its frankness. "Even the youths shall

faint and be weary." This is the case, if for no other reason,

because the youth will cease to be young after a while and will

become feeble and old. In speaking to you then on how to stay

young, I frankly face the fact that there is no way to stay

young physically. Old age may be delayed, but if you live long

enough, it is absolutely inevitable.

But I am convinced that this is not really a calamity.

The only old age that is really tragic is that of the inner­

life. Some people are older at twenty than others at eighty.

In fact some of the oldest people I have met have been on the

sunny side of thirty. While some of the youngest I have known

have passed three score years and ten. Walter Lipmann speaks

of those who are old and world weary at twenty-two. Such old

age is tragic indeed. But merely to have had a good number of

birthdays is no~hing over which to fret.

I think our poets have misled us here. So often they have

implied or declared that childhood and youth ar@ the only periods

of life that are really 'worth living. Of course, this frankly is

not true. I had a joyful childhood and youth, but I am living

more richly now than then. I have no desire whatever to turn

Page 2

back the clock. I think we talk more sentimental rubbish about

the happiness of childhood and youth and the unhappiness of

other periods of life than almost anything else o

"0 talk not to me of a name great in sto~y

The days of our youth are the days of our glory.The flowers that blossom at sweet two and twentyAre worth all your laurels tho ever so plentyo

"What are laurels and wreathes to the brow that is wrinkled?T'is but as dead flowers with May dew besprinkled.Then away with all such for the brow that is hoarylWhat care I for wreaths that can aiy give glory'

Even Wordsworth falls into the same blunder:

"Heaven lies about us in our infancylShades of the prison house begin to close

Upon the growing boy;But He beholds the light, and whence it flows,

He sees it in his joy;The Youth who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is Na~ure's Priest,And by the vision splendidIs on his way attended;

At length the Man perceives it die away,And fade into the light of common dayo"

Thus life begins beautifully, bu~ soon grows drab and gray~

and ends in an uglYvclimax. So convinced is one cynic of this

that he regrets that instead of being born lovely little babies

and growing into withered old men and women, we might be born

withered and old and grow back to infancy. Of course,· if that

should happen, we would end in utter nothingness. Now the

fact about this pessimistic view is that it is not true unless

we consent to make it sOo We can remain young in heart regardless

of the almanac"

Here is a classic example. One day when John QUhcy Adams

was past eighty, a friend met him on the streets of Boston and

said, "Good morning, Mr...Adams. How is John Q.uincy Adams this

morning?"

Page :3

"John Q.uincy Adams is quite well, I thank you." the

venerable gentleman anwwered with a twinkle in his eyes. "Of

course the house in which he now lives is quite dilapidated.

The walls are tottering and the roof is worn g Soon he is going'~

to have to move out of it into another~not made with hands. But

John Q.uincy Adams is quite all right g"

What can the almanac do to a heart like that?

A few years ago a certain minister told that storY to his

radio audience. The following week he received a letter from

one of his feminine listeners that read somewhat as follows:

"The house in which I live is eighty-two years of age. I confess

that it is not as beautiful as it was fifty years ago. Indeed,

I have not kept it painted as is the case~many todayg But

I have· been giving a great deal of time to interior decoratingo

Then too, I am happy to say that I have a very reliable tenent

on the t6p floor." Her_ again the almanac must throw up its

hands in surrender g

- II -

Vfuat are some of the marks of old age? That is, how old

are you? I am not going to consult the family record. I am

going to consult you.. I am going to consult jou in the light of

one of the best discriptive passages of old age in all literature j

the twelfth chapter of 'Ecclesiastes. There are two marks of old

age that this chapter mentions to which I wish to call your

attention. There is a third mark that this writer failed to

mention, but which I am sure he would accept o

1. The first mark of old age is staggering under trifleso

The author of this great chapter puts it in these words o "The

Page 4

grasshopper shall be a burden." If a grasshopper were to

light on yo~r shoulder, you would not know he was there unless

someone call him to your attention. He is too light to register o

But if you are old enough, this grasshopper will make you totterI

as iif Atlas had just dumped the world upon your week shoulders.

Now if you totter under trifles, if you make mountains out

of molehills, 'you are old whether you are nineteen or ninety 0

Magnifying tribles is not confined to anyone age. It may

intrude both in first and second childhood. But whenever you

begin to get excited over petty things, to magnify the insigni-

ficant, then you are so old that you are in the way. You are so

old that you are a source of endless trouble. This making

mountains out of mo+ehills is one of the worst possible foes to

domestic happiness as to happiness anywhere else.

The other day a busy young husband went home and greeted

his wife in the usual fashion. But her greeting was about as

warm as an icicle and thrilling as a wet blanket. He struggled

through the conversation at dinner to be greeted with the groans

.of a martyr. He finally came out bluntly and said, "What is the

matter?" She refused to tell him. 'l'hen after she had made him

miserable for the whole night and herself far more so, she told

hfum that it was her birthday and that he had not even thought

of it. I have never understood why· some people want to keep

their loved ones on needles and pins for fear they will forget

something. Those who do so are eithe~ babies or in their old

age o

2 0 A second mark of old age that this author mentions is

timidi ty, an( increasing fear 0 "They shall be afraid of that

Page 5

which is high." is the way he puts it. Ir we do not guard

against it, lire and the passing years will quinch the fire of

our enthusiasm. "For the wettest of wet blankets" said Lord

Morley, "give .me the man who was most 'enthusiastic in his youth."

But this need not be the case.

One or the most charming men in the Old Testament was Caleb o

When a young man, he was one of the twelve that went to spy out

the Land of Promise. Ten of his fellows saw God thrhugh their

difficulties and were overcome by fear. Cale~ with Joshua saw

his difficulties in the light of God and was unarraid. Therefore,

the two brought in a minority report, declaring that they were

well able to take the land. But they w~re voted down and the

task had to be postponed for half a lifetime. But now at last they

have crossed the Jordan and much of the land is in their

possession o But there was one mountain fastness that seemed

impregnable 0 Their invading armies had not made a dent upon it.

Who was the volunteer for this impossible task? It was this man

Caleb o He was then eighty-five ~ears old, but he was exceedingly

young. He was still not afraid of 'that which is high.

3. The final mark of old age that I mention is despairing

or the present and the future while we look IIOurnfully back to

the past. Nothing will save you from tragic old age if yo~gaze

is turned backwards. Nobody can do anything to change yesterday.

Here is a poem. Shakespeare did not write it, but it is quite.as

true as if he had.

"The lightening bug is brilliantBut he hasn't any mind.He blunders through existenceWith his headlight on behind."

When the exiles returned to rebuild their ruined city and

Page 6

temple, they had to undergo many hardships. At last they succeeded

in laying the foundation of the temple. When this was done, a

great shout went up that echoed from house to house and was

reverberated from the hills in the background. But it was a

mingled shout. Some were shouting from joy; others were wailing

in their sorrow. Who were doing the wailing? Those who looked

at the foundation of the new temple and said, "It is not going to

be anything like the old temple." Those who were shouting for

joy were those who looked at the new temple and saw in it a new

and better today. Those who wailed were old and those who shouted

for joy were young. If you despair of the present and future and

look mournfully back at the past, then you are old whether you

are seventeen or seventy.

- III -

What are some of the antidotes to old age? Of course,

proper living, proper eating and exercising will help, but that

is not enough. M:r barber said to. me sometime ago, "I can put

something on that gray hair of yours that will keep it from being

gray."

"Never mind", I answered. "I am not afraid of gray hair.

All I am afraid of is not having any hair to get gray."

Here are a few simple directions that will keep you young.

1. Be willing to be your age. If you are thirty, act that

way, if seventy, act that way. Do not quarrel with the calendar •

. If you try to be kittenish at seventy-five, you will not deceive

anybody but yourself. Getting old is a part of God's plan. It

is something ~hat you cannot avoid. Therefore, the sensible

and religious thing to do is to accept it.

Now there are those who are not willing to do this. As they

slip down the further side of the hiilil, they claw at the embankrr~nt

Page 7

with frantic futility. They refuse ever to look at the family

record', forg~tting that they are carrying a record in every line

of their bodies. In their pathetic effort to stay young, they

get old the faster. Relax and be your age g

2.. If you desire to stay young, keep learning. There are

pupils in high school who look forward to graduation with joy

because they feel that they will then not have to learn anything

else. There are those in college that feel they will be through

with learning when they get their diplomas.

Here is an old man in a prison cell. Death is so close that

he can almost feel its chillee breadth upon his face. He is

writing a letter to an absent friend, "Dear Timothy," he writes,

"when you come, bring my cloak with YOU g Do your best to come

before winter else I will suffer." Then fearing he might have

too much baggage to bring the books and cloak too, he adds this

word, "Bring the books and especially my parchmentE." Be seems

to say, "I can afford to be cold, but I cannot afford to be

without my books." He was standing at the door of death, but

he was determined to meet his Lord intellectually alert and alive.

3g Keep up your interest in others, in your church, in your

community, and in your work. We are all in danger of being too

narrow in our interests. That danger increases when we cannot be

as active as we once were. But to lose interest is deadly. We

can live youthfully and well on very little. But we cannot live

youthfully unless we have so~ething to live for. Whenever our

chief concern gets to be our own pains and pills, then we are

old regardless of the calendar. There are tens of thousands

today who are sick and who would surely recover if they would

'Page 8

get their minds off themselves.

Dr. Grenfel tells of organizing a society of women to write

to orphan sailor boys with the British Navy. Among those enlisted

was an old woman who was making herself a medicine chest while

she was being a burdon to her family'. But having written to one

sailor, she wrote to another and another. He tells of seeing

this old invalid a few years later as she stood on the warf.

She was surrounded by a bunch of noisy, laughing sailors, and she

was laughing loudest of allo Her health had come back and she

had taken a half score years off her ageo

There is a story iti mythology of a certain wishing vest that

having been put on the wearer could wish for anything he chose

and his wish would come true. But every time he wished a selfish

wish the vest would draw up abit o If he kept on wishing selfishly,

it would finally choke him to death o Jesus was teaching the same

truth when he said, "He that seeketh to save his life shall lose

it, but he that loseth his life shall find it." If you want to

stay young, keep up your interest in others.

40 Finally, if you want to stay young, keep in touch with

God. Make a habit of prayer o As you pray, the tides of divine

life will flow in to fill your depleted energies. You will be

able to say with John, "Of His fullness have all we received."

'~ven the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall

utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall ren~w their

strength; they shall ~ount up with wings as eagles; they shall

run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

When I was pastor in Memphis, I had the wisdom to secure an

old superannuate who was then past eighty as my assistant. He did

not preauh, he visited. He also sat with us in the pUIPit~/'

/

(~~.. t,pje/' 9

",'J .eve~y service. His presence was an unfailing benediction. When

he died, 1 think his was the largest funeral I have ever known.

1 am confident that the most fruitful years of his life were the

years between eighty and his homegoing. 1 am also sure that these

were his happiest years. Keeping an active interest in~bers,

he moved about the eventide of life like a rich and rare perfume.

He knew how to love and pray, so he never grew old.

When Edwin Markham reached his eightieth birthday, they

celebrated the event at Madison Square Garden. .A poem was. ,

written by Mr. Markham for the occasion. The last lines ran as

follows:-

"1 look to the future for wine and breadI have bidden the past adieu.So 1 laugh and wave hands to the years ahead,Come on, I am ready for you."

, So may it be for all of us.

men whose lives are not fed an the Divise sources.

Often a keen and orushing realization

This ia a sob that singa thru much

.. ,1O'·'.L.'IOuBG . .q,··I,~ah 401 36-m..

eve~y one of' us must say; amen I

This is a fact.

of ,the poetry cf the warld.

Gather ye rosebUds whUe ye may.Old time is still a flying.·And the same flower that blooma today.Tomorrow will be dying.

It is true to the pleasure seeker. When the prodigal

':AiR" Bas 'lt88ft a lei.ftao: ad wa11.My life is in the yellow leaf.The fiowera are fruita of hopes having gone,The worm. the oanker. and the griefs are mine alone.

The same thOUght is in that tender song.

Sweet day. so oalm. so olear. so bright~The bridal of the earth and sky.The dew weep thy fall tonight;For thou must die.

This weariness comes to all sorts and conditions of

LThe text brings us at onoe faoe to faoe wi th .. grim

certaint7.~ kten the youth shall fa int and be weary. To this truth

Of it comes to us even in the springtime of life. But if it does not

OGaS in 7outh~ then it comes with absolute certainty later on. !here

is noth1ngmOre sure for the natural man than just this~ t lB.t the youth

shall taint. and be weary. and the young man sb:lll utterly fall.

"liven the youthssl:all faint and be weary. am the

·young man shall utterly fall: But ~hey that wai t upon the Lord

s~l renew their strength; they shall mount up wi. th 'Wings as eagles;

they shall run. ani not be weary; and they shall Y8lk. and not faint."

-2-

left home, he was in search of a good time. :But how tired he got of

doing as he pleased. He S))ent muoh upon his adventure, in fact he

spent all t lB t he had, and what was the outcome. He tells· us in one

tearful sentenoe. WI »erishwith hunger." He was not an old wAn~

but even in his youth he had fainted and grown wear,.

Did you read of that young girl who was the pride and

beauty of Paris. She was taking bar vaoation on board a lovely yaoht.,

She was saUing the beautifuJ. and romantio R*.. But one night after

the dance. with her ball room dress yet upon her. she stole over the

aide of the vesael and dropped into the dark b080m~ of the w~ter, and.,

into the darker bosom of death. What was the matter~ She was olean

worn out. She had disoovered the truth of that statement that says,~

"She that we81'f'"'1h;pleasure is dead While she"'- liveth: n

2. But this is not true simply of the pleasure aeeke~. It

is alao true of the serious and earnest worker.•

So often he is wearied•

by his failure. So often his prize seems to vanish at his approach.

So often he seems to be pursuing the end of the rainbow. :BUt even if

he attains; he is usually disappointed. The prize is not the satis-

fying something that he dreamed it would be when tt lured him from a

di stance .'f,\. ~How tired was Dean awift. He missed the prize. Those

who knew him sa.!d he was the most miserable"in England. How do.ubly

tired was Solomon. He won the prize, held it for a moment in bitterness

then dashed it from him in disgust saying;-Vanity of vanities; all is

vanity".

3. The the youth faint and grow wear7: if for no other1A-f....~ ~L-.1l ~.~~I~~than. that they .. soon cease to be young. lftIlJt are the 'I>""'lu of

. w ~ears ago. What 'w111 Miss JJDerica be in ·....t a quarter of a"' '~~l __ ._,~._,..:' ....................,'~_..:.._~~_._ .........,.__•._._ ...'---..:.:.::...,.."....~"'-.""_.

...

-...oentury from tOday! However fair you are;however strong you are.

you wUl not take many more steps down the road before a highwayman

meets you.. He will rob you of all your physioal oharms. He wll1

steal the plumpness from your figure. He will steal the elastioity

from your step. He will steal the sparkle from your eye. He will

steal themusio from your laughter.

That sounds very ugl;y to aS7 of you. I know. It is

pi tiful how hard some people try to conoeal the ravages of the years,

even from themselves. Now I do not believe in making an effort to

grow old. I believe in the best possible oare of this physical house

we 11~. but I believe also in a canlid facing of the facts. IJLouls~ wouJ.d not allow death to be mentioned in his presenoe. ~ut

it did him no gO~. Jeath walked in on him one day wi~hout even sending

his oalling card. He announoed his own presenoe. So. old age will

do for you and me~ how ever hard we may try to shut our eyes to the

faot.

PAR! II.

But over against this grim oertainty. the prophet sets(J..

~ most winsome possibilit;y. "Even the youths shall faint and be

weary," mhat is true. everyone knows that i't is true."but.they that

wai t upon the Lord shall renew their strength." That also is true.

!berefore~ there is a way that our failing energies may be replenished.

There is a way by whio h our decaying strength may be l'erpetually re­Iki.~

newed. Life is an antiolimax for many. but it~ not be so. It

may be a g14rious olimax. It may be a something made winsome by

unfailing springtime.

UB-

Browning found it so. therefore he sings to

Grow old along with me.The best is yet to be;The last of life,For whioh the first was made.Youth Shows but half-Trust God, Bee all~

Nor be af~aid.

What is

PAllT III. ,"J"/ rJ-f~,- ~t.-vy

the seoret~. It

~L?t PLL;

is not a secret that has

to do with these physioal bodies of ours. :By wise and right livingIS

we oan postpone that decay•. ana. that. we. ought to. d9. ~ut there is

absolutely no way t~~:~ ;r;4~:ed: ~~~eV-;~~~·; I think: suoh

would be a 00188881 oalami ty. If sergery ever gets to the plaoe,

as aome believe it Will, that it can by oertain operations fenoe off

,old age, it will not be a blessing. but a ourse.

There is a fountain of youth, but it is not for these

bodies of ours. Some think that they out aff a number of years, by

outting off their hair. Some grow young by tak~ng off a few inohes

of their sk:irts~ though I am persuaded that this remedy bas reaohed

the limit. Some buy spring time and morning tide at the beauty

parlor. -!Bimgh ~ainst~I have no tirade to utter. Help your-

selves as muoh as you oan. Some of yo u need it.

of it all is that it is futile. Youth is not a physical something,

merely. it is a thing of the heart. That is the reas en the wise man

said ·Xeep thine heart with all diligenoe. for out of it are the

issues of life. n Whether you are young or old, does not depend llj)on

how many years you have lived, it depends upon what you are in your

inner life. Some of the oldest people I have ever known have not

yet reached a soore. On the other hand, some of the youngest and

-5-

most radiant I have ever known have been those who have passed the

three score years and ten.

How then: are we to find the secret of abiding youth,

It is not by having your faoe lifted. It is by lifting your own face

toward God. It is by opening the windows of your soul out toward the

heavenly Jerusalem. "They that wai teBh upon the Lord shall renew the ir

strength.· That means prayer. That means ailOlfl; conmunion. That

means to linger in His presence until He becomes a reality. That means

olinging to Him as the branoh olings to the vine. Such a man oan

never grow old. He cannot; because his life if fed ~~ineXhaust­ib1e resouroe~.

It is easy to understand how this is true. It is said

that the personal presence of Napoleon oould make the most timid sol­

dier into a hero. Courage ~(~ut from his own heart into the

heart of his soldiers~11 p&r81ma1:.~lEt-act. One dark night when. k·. d

Soot1and was undergoing religious persecution, a man wh1Sper~d ~&~(-I.,r<f\Acl( ~ l!.v·v'\~ II -r

.e&l", John Knox .1.il-heN, a=4 .-that friend Whispered that same message into

the ear of another. In 8 few hours~ all Soot1and was alive with a newiL

hope and a new oourage and. high enthusiasm, beoause of the personal

presenoe of this one heroio heart.

Our God is infinite in his energies. "Has t thous no t

known? Hast thou not re ard. that the everlasting God, the Lord, the/1Creator of the ends of the earth. fainteth not, neither is weary?

How oan that light shine on w1thout weariness; By keeping in touch

with the dynamo. How can the brook sing its way to the sea? By

keeping in touch with the eternal springs.. How oan the fire keep~ .t?t 6-u':t1burning in Bunyen's immortal story, ,..,k••~~g constantly fed by secret

supplies of oil. And there is no other secret for you and me. We

-6-

must be kept in constant oontact with God.

How strikingly this truth is illustrated in the life

of Moses. One day he struok a blow in)the-'interest of his people.

After that day he left the oountry.

that had been his in other years.

He forgot the great dreams

He oompelled himself to be content

to tend the sheep of his father-in-law. But one day he saw a )turning

bush. The wonder of this bush was not that it burned. but that it

oontinued to burn. It was not consumed. Moses di sc overed that the

secret of the persistenoe of the flames was that God was in it. He

learned furtlBr that if he were to continue to burn with the fine

enthusiasm of his youth; he must have God flaming within his own life.

-They that wait upon the Lord.- What untold resouroes

thi s opens to us. What springtime it would bring into our hearts.

With what abiding morning tide it would lighten our darkened souls.

But we are too feeverish. We are anxious and worried about many things.

We h8.ven't time to pral. We haven' t time to hear the wise words of

the Psa1mist~ wBe still and know that I am God." EVen the best of us

have a great tendency to get so bUSy about hol~,-things that we loose

a senSe of the presenoe of the holy Lord. Thus our energies become

exhausted. Thus the fountains of our youth dry u;p.

:>-;

I

j

But: I remine you that it need not be so. It is not

the will of God that it should be so. and there are those here pre~

sent who have found that this text is literally true. They have wait-

ed on God and they have lived their lives in the warmth and beauty

and perfume of spring. It would be easy to find some here who have

not yet reached twenty. who are far less youthful in the best and most

winsome sense tban others who ilould be burdened wi th four score years

upon their shoulders: who are nearing the golden glow of the ~~~~e of life.

~.ART Ilf.

What is the outoome of this unfailing strength in

youth. that is born of oonsistent oontact with God. The prophet

ment ions three. "!hey .hall mount u:p • ith .. ings as eagles; they

shall ~and not be weary; they shall ~lk. and not faint."

!hat is they 'shall soar. they Shall run. they Shall nlk. It

sounds iike a rather pathetic antiolimax~ but in reality it is the

very apposi te. It is the most majestio olimax.

1. They shall soar. They shall mount u;p with wings

8S eagles. This they shall do. not beoause the law of gravitation

has been done away~. but beoauae wings bave been supplied. They

shall s oar~· not beoause their burdens have been lightened. but beoause

their powers have been inoreased. That is God's best gift to us.

He might save us by keeping us out of the furnaoe altopther. but

it is a far greater salvation to save us in the midst of the furnaoe.

It might get us off the earth by doing away with the laws of gravita­

tion. but tlBt would be no gain. we would be the same weaklings we

• ere before. He gives us larger power•

, ~.--- 6 iion

FY~-",.f ,,' ,~,'

......

-8-

And what is s 19nified by this soaring. It means

thos.e periods of visions; those transfigurationf'moments of life when

we get new understandings of God, and therefore new oomprehensions

of life. To mount up with wings as eagles, is to beoome in oloser

oontaot with heaven. It is to have a firmer grasp on spiritual

things. It is to have a keener eye for the unseed and eternal.

It is also to get a saner and truer view of the world

that'now is. We oannot tell muoh about a oity by merely standing

in the midst of it. To know the oity, you need what is oalled the

birds eye view. You may get one building so olose to you as to shut

out the lO~OOO vaster buildings that are all about you. !he true

view is the birds eye view.

We need to see the world from the heavenly s~de. That

is we need to look on life from the heights. If we oould see the

lives that we are living as they look to lhose who have passed into

presence of the Xing how foolish and pa,*ltry many of them would look.

If we had the eagle view: we coul.d see the oheapness of the things for

Whioh we are squandering ourselves. We oould als 0 see the prioeless-

ness of the things we are throwing away. We wonld realize the far­

ness of near things, and the nearness of far things. We would have

a new understanding of the unseen. And far that reason~ we would

be less in bondage to the seen.

2. "They shall run and not be weary". Bunning. That

is strenuous work. It is harder to do t liLn flying. It refers, I

tat. it, to our periods of great sucoess or of great testing. Peter

was running when he so preaohed, th at one sermon resulted in the 0 on-

"..

version of three thousand souls., It is no t so hard to run in this

senseI It means that we are getting scme where. Ie are w.inning

the raoe. which means tbat we are oonquering in our own lives. It

means that we are oonquering in the bringing in of the I:insdon.

This running also referrs to those periods of peculiar

testing. We shall have strength for the great temptations of life;

its keen disappointment, its great heart aohes. Some years ago.

I stood by a frail little woman. as her husband lay dying. She

loved him with passionate 4t.,.Otion. and yet she was enabled even in

that hour to parise God with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

That is, God was fulfilling his promise to her.

not be weary.

She could 3%Dn and

The final result of this unfailing youth is that it

will emble us to walk and not fa rot. Walk. That means plodd1ng.

That means patient enduranoe when ,. seem to be getting no where;

when our plans go awry. when we meet opposition. and when our very

, '

lives seem falling about us in ruins. Many a man who oan s oar and

who oan run, finds walking next to an impossibility. Not long ago

I was talking to one of the most gifted preaohers in ~ri08. He

was oonsoious that old ~ge was slipping ~on him, and he said. it

is hard for one who has lived in the thiok of things as I have to be

put on the side track. It was 80 hard that God in His mercy took

him home before that hour oame.

Yet God does enable His saints to plod with joyous

enthusiasm, but this is the very highest test of the powers of un-

failing youth. Some years ago a man told me of an aoquaintanoe of

his: whose plJr]Iose 'it was to stud;V for the min1str1. one day betor e

:/'A~*

,.-,.:l:':!~fiii'

seventy men who had been won to Ohrist by this oripple ferryman.

Opportunit1 to preach was while he was ferrying his passengers over

About his onl1

-10-

Therefore, he was able to run and not faint.

Yet~ this man told me that he knew personal11 of

'I ~

," . "

~. ~>i

the riTer,

God grant that we may learn the searet.

He had waited on God.

"broken; he beoame a ferryman on the Osage River,.

"'he was to leave for school; he bappened to an aoaident that made him

or~pple for life. After a long period of 1nvalidism~ his hopes

'.....'k, "~".,_. _~ ,C"'__, .'~~

, ..,.~. ~~ Ibenthe youths shall faint and be weary. and the young men shall utterly fall:

':aut they that wa1 t upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mountup with wings as eagles; they shall run. and not be weary; and they shall walk.and n,ot faint.'

-Isaiah 40: ,~tll. 31

<;' !1'.b.e Bible i s alw~s a plain speaking Book. That is one of its chief.,

charms. With engaging candor it faces the worst that life can do as well as

the best. That is one of the chief sources of power possessed by Mr. Ohurchi11.

There are those who doubt hi s ability as a military strategist. but noneilOubt

h1s courage. He holds the respect and confidence of his people and of the

world by a frank: facing of facts however gloo~ and distasteful those facts

may be to himself and others.

I

Here then we are brought face· to face with forbidding certainty. 'Even

a youth shall faint and be weary.' None of us can deny that. None need shut

our ~es to it."io!outh often faints and grows weary while it is yet youth.

Some of the most tired, disillusioned and fed up folks that I know are on the

springtime side of twenty. There is no mistaking the fact that there are vast

numbers that faint and grow weary while they are yet young. One such took

hisewn life the other da1'. declaring that it was his right to quit before the

whistle blows.

But even if we refuse to faint while we are young, this fact rel'llains that

youth slipBaw~ from us. The passing years do rob us of mnch treasure that

we should be glad to keep. Sooner or later the elasticity goes out of our

step. Sooner or later our right hand loses 'its cunning. The Miss America

II!

L.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG - page:3

of todq will not be the Miss America of tomorrow. You and I are growing

old. That is a fact to which if we are wise, \ole will not try to shut our

eyes.

II

How shall we face this fixed certainty1 Some I regret to s~ look

at it with utter horror. There is nothing of which certain people are more

afraid than of getting old. The thought of the passin~ of the years is a

skeleton at every feast. They seek by every possible dodge to d.1sguise this

grim fact from themselves. They erase their na~s from the family record

and refuse to tell their ages even to the census-taker. They go on the

assumption that life begins at a climax and ends in a tragic anti-cl1~

Oar poets have misled us here. So often they sing their songs on the

assumption that youth is the only part of life that is worth living.

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye ~;Old time is still ~fJ.Ying,

And this same flower that blooms todayTomorrow may be dying."

Here is another:

"Oh talk not of a name great in story,The days of our youth are the d~s of our glory;The ~tle and iVJ' of sweet two-and-twentyAre worth a.ll your laurels though ever 80 plenty;~}P.au1' garlands and leaves to the brow that is wrinkled­I Tis bu.t as dead flowers wi th ~-dew besprinkled,Then a.way wi th all such from the brow that is hoary,What care I for wreaths that can only give gloryt'

Here is another to the same. purpose:

"I remember, I rememberThe houRe where I was born,The little window where the sunCame peeping in at morn;He never came a wink too soonNor brought too long a dq.

I remember, I rememberThe fir-trees dark and high:I used to think their slender tops

~--

, ROW TO STAY YOUE'G - page 3It

Were close against the sky:It was a childish ignorance,But now 'tis little joyTo know II m farther off from heavenThan when I was a boy."

Azld even Wordsworth who was at his best a. great saint sings the same strain:

"Heaven lies about us in our infancylShades of the"-'prison-house begin to close

Upon the growing boy,But he beholds the light, and whence it flows,

He sees it in his joy;The youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is natnre's priest,And by the vision splendidIs on his w~ attended;

At length the man perceives it die arl~,

.And fade into the light of common day.'

So we might go on endlessly. Life seems a bit like that stream that

gIlshes songfully from a great spring in the Himalqa Hounta.ins on to be

choked in hot sand a few yards away. No wonder a certain writer asks

peev1sh~, "Why shou.ld it be like this? Why could not we be born old and

wi thered men, charred and wrinkled women, and graduSlly grow back to the

strength of middle life, then to the zest of youth, then become babies as

we fade out of this worldl"

These belong wi th that company that sing wi th Omar Kha.ya.m:

"Could you and I with Him conspireTo grasp thi s sorry Scheme of Things entire,Would Jlotr:.v' shASter it to bits-and thenRe-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desirel H

But life does not move on toward an anti-climax but to a climax.

Irowning thought so when he bids us:

DGrow old along wi th me,The best is yet to be.'

!his is the case because old age is not a matter of the calendar. It is

a matter of the inner life. As proof of this, some of the oldest peopleiI

HOW TO STAY YOUNG - page 4

have ever known were yet in their teens, whereas some of the youngest I

have ever known had passed three score years and ten. To tell your real

age. therefore, I am not going to ask you how many birthdays you have had.

I am not going to consult the family record. I am going to see what you

are in your inner life, for we do 11ve "in thoughts not years, in deeds not

in figures on a dial."

Here for instance is a classical example. A friend met John Quincy

Adams one d~ on the streets of BOBton. Adams was then getting very old.

HGoOd morning, Mr. Adams,l he greeted him. IHow are you?- "John Q,uincyclotud~" ~J

Adams is qui te well, thank you...... Of course, the house he is 11ving in is

getting somewhat d~lapidated. Its walls are tottering on their foundations.

The roof is greatly in need of repair. In fact, I think: it is going to be

f..:-necessary for w~ to move out Boon into another house not made wi th hBnds,

eternal in the heavens. But John Q,uincy Adams is quite well, thank you. 1

I submi t to you that the passing years are powerless to do anything wi th a

soul like that.

Sometime ago a minister told that story to his radio audience. A few

days later he received a letter from an old lady who was eighty-two. She

wrote somewhat as follows: "The house in which I live is eighty-two yearsc;:..."

of age. I confess .it is notvbeautiful as it was fifty years ago, but then

I have hot kept it painted on the outside as is the custom. But I have

given a great deal of time to interior decorating. Then. I still have a

very reliable tenant on th~ top floor.· Here again time is utterly baffled.

However many times December has been to visit these two people he has knoCked

in vain because they have kept lUne-tide in their hearts.

III

What then are some of the marks of old age? I pass over a few honest

wrinkles. I pass over that gray hair that in the w~ of righteousness is

I!t

I

l

HOW TO ST,ALJOUNG - page 6

thAt his readers might find. He said. nRemember that in answering the

question I do not desire to be heroic. I jnst desire to be comfortable."

There you have old age at its ugly worst. Life has tamed this man.

Oharacter no longer makes any appeal. .111 he cares for is his comfort.

You remember how some of the companions of Ulysses went to the palace of

the Enchantress of Oirce where they were changed into hogs. By and b,y their

leader found them, and he had the Enchantress to change them back Rgain

in to men. But there were a few of them that did not want to be heroic.

They simply wanted to be comfortable, and so they requested the Enchan~ess

to change them back into hogs again. When the prodigal found himself among

the swine, he could not Share their comfort. They were not haunted by any

dreams of a better life. But the prodigals are still youthful enough to

put character above comfort. If you have reached the place where you no

longer dare, where you no longer are willing to venture. then you are old

whether you are nine or ninety.

One of the most charming characters in the Old Testament is Caleb.

Caleb, as you remember. WaS one of the t\ielve spies. He with his friend

Joshua brought back the minori ty report. They vere'].voted down, and the

capture of the promised land was postponed for forty years. But after fort,r

years Caleb went over to share in his con~uest. Then after the Israelites

bad taken possession of most of the land, there remained one strong-hold that

they had. failed to capture. Caleb at the age of eighty-five came asldng

that he might be given the ,hardest task that had ever been given him. That

means that however biM he had grown outwardly, he had eternal springtime

in his heart. One mark of old ?ge is the fear of the heights.

3. me final mark of old age I mention is the glorifyi~g of the past.

Of course, as we get older there are delip~tful memories to which we enjoy

f \.

HOlil TO STAY YOUNG page 7

looldng back. But whenever we decide that our Golden Age is behind us

instead of ahead of us, then we have grown old. How prone We are to look

back to the good old days of fifty years ago. Jerome declares that man has

been doing that every since Adam's fifty-first birthd8\f. :But the tragedy

of it is that when we begin looking backward, "'8 cease to go forward. When

we begin to look backward, we cease to be of any use or to make any progreBs.

Here is a poem that Shakespeare did not wri te but it is just as wise as

anything he said:

"The lightning-bug i B brilliant,But he hasn't any mind;He blun0ers through existenceWith his headlight on behind."

Of course, as soon as we begin to glorify the past, we tend in just

that proportion to despise the present and despair of the future. We begin

straightway to tell how the youth of today are the worst that the world

has ever known. We begin to look ~~th evil forebodings toward tomorrow.

In fact, we do not see how. the Lord iB pOBsibly going to run the world when

He no longer has us to help out wi th our groans and our cri tid sms and our

sorrows. If you are living in the past, you are old even if you have not

learned to walk.

IV

How shall we guard against old age? Let me say frankly that there is

no safeguard against the aging of the physical bodies. Of course, by 0"servance of the laws of health we can keep them young longer than some of

us do. No type of exercise, no amount of· face-lifting, no sort of operation

wi 11 enable an;y of us to hoodwink the laws of nature and defeat the pasBing

of the years. It is a testimonital to our stupidity that one certain quack

made over a million dollars in a sin~le year in Little Rock, Arkansas,

offering a fountain of youth to old men.

But how shall we avoid the old age that is really tragic?

~------------,-,

HOW TO STAY YOUNG - page 8

,----_._-'--,----,_._._.-._---...,"',.

1. Accept yourself. Be willing to be the age that you ar\9. That is

not DVadvice simply bu.t the advice of many of the best physicians and psy-

chologists. If you are forty act like you are forty. not like you are fifteen.

If you are seventy, be willing; to be seventy. There is something unspeakably

pathetic in seeing some old body trying to act kitteniSh and telling us how

they are as strong as they ever were when you know they are deceiving nobody

but themselves. I even knew a minister who married a girl young enough to

be his grand-daughter. He was much in love, and she said she was in love

with his soul. I ~ppose 80. That was all he had left. It is a terribl,

strain to try to be young when Jrou are old. Relax, and you will feel mch

better.

2. Keep interested in the present and the future. That does not mean

that we are -to shUt ,9U1!:::'eyes to the fact that we have come upon dark and

desperate ~s. But it does mean this--that we are to face the fact that

this is our dq. We are here at the call of God. We have come to the

Kingdom for such~, time as this. We ought to esteem it an honor that God

has set us to man the wall at a time whBn the city is being hard-pressed,

and when civilization itself threatens to collapse. Keep up your interest.

Otherwise, ~'ou will die of sheer boredom.

Here, for in stance) are two men who have to give up working so strenuously

as they once did. One of them becomes an introvert. He .scorns the present

and despairs of tomorrow•.He no longer has any interests. He ages rapidly

8nd soon dies. But here is another who recognizing the fact that he cannot

do as II1llch as he used to do knows that he can still do something~ He can•

still pr~. He can still confront each d~ wi th poi se and courage. He

can sing with another aged adventurerl

r··J··~

/ '

f HOW TO EAT YOOBG - page 9

·Come, ~ friends,'!ris not too late to seek a newer world,~ purpose holds to sail beyond the SUilset, and the bathser all the western stars, until I die.I t may be that the gu.lfs will wash us down:It mq be that we shall touch the Happy I ale s,And see the gre.t Achilles, whom we knew.!hough mch is taken, lDlJ.ch ab1des: and though

We are not now that strength which in old daysMoved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are:One equal te~r of heroie hearts,Made weak by time and fate, but strong in willTo strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.·

3. Finally, and most important of all, learn to~::w&1t on God. "They,

that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Thi s waf ting means

far more than the idle folding of the hBnds. It means pr,:yer. It means the

opening of the windows of the soul out toward the heavenly Jerusalem until

the light of the glory of God floods your life. It means to be related to

Je~s Christ as the branch is related to vine. It means the constant hold1~

up of your emptiness for GOd's fullness.

You remember the fire that became so burning bright beside a wall. A

man came by and dashed a bucket of water upon it and then another and then

another but it burned only the brighter. He marvelled at it until he went

on the other side of the wail and saw that the fire was being fed by secret

supplies of oil. Passing years with the!. r tears over losees and over

graves and tears over broken dreams ann broken hopes will put out your fire.

It will quench your enthusiasm unless you are fed by secret su~plies of oil.

UHast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the Lord the Creater of the,

ends of the earth fainteth' not, neither is weary.· It is only as we have

our hand in the hmds of the lUlfainting end unfailing Christ that we shall

maintain our youth.

Here is an illustration of that fact in the life of the greatest man

of the Old Testament. One day Moses went out to visit his people. Here

he saw a Hebrew being imposed upon 'by an Egyptian taskmaster. In hot anger

~'.;'f"

HOW TO mAY YOUNG - page 10

Moses stru.ck the bully. Doubtless he did not mean to kill him. But the

blow was harder than he realized. Thus, he had a dead. man on his hands.

This blow sturck in the heat of passion caused him to have to flea the

country. He made his Va::! to the deser; of Midian where little by li ttle he

forgot his high. quest, his high dreams, and became the contented keeper of

another man t s sheep.

::Bu.tone dq as he led hi s sheep to the backside of the desert he saw

a little bush ablaze. He watched to see it fall into gra::f ashes, but it

burned on. That was what made him curious. "I will now turn aside and

see this great sight why the bush is not consumed." You see he was curious

not because the 'b11sh was burning but because it kept on burning. Why did it

keep oni Because God Vas in it. Why had he himself flared up long enough

to strike one blow and then give over the'fight' He had gone in hi. own

strength. Therefore. though eighty years of age he vent back to accomplish

wha.t he could no t accomplish in the days iSf his youth because 'God was with'

him. .And the wri ter accounts for his strength and power in this word: "He

endured as seeing Him Who is invisible.' ,

They that waf t upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Then what!

In the power of that strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles.

There shall be even in old age periods of vision. Not only shall young men

see visions, but old men shall dream dreams. ~hey shall run and not be

veary. There shall be times of victorious crises. :But the climax of it

all is that they shall walk and not fal. nt. It is comparatively easy to soar.

!tis harder to run. It is hardest of all to walk, to plod day by day and

keep serene and hopeful and joyous. Ye t that is God's gift to us and we are

never too old to expArience it.

While I was pastor in Memphis, I had the good sense to go one day to

":\'..;, _. '. - .

, ~"'~) STAY YOONG - page 11

'/ 1',... LQall on an old superannuated minister who was between eighty and ninety_..M'.

years of age. llWould you be willing." I asked. "to b~ rrr:r associate and..(

visi t among DV people!- His faee lighted wi tb. an almost heavenly radiance.

He a.coepted wi th a gralttude that almost embarrassed De. Every service he

would sit wi,th me in the pUlpl t and I would be the stronger for his presence.

On weci~ dqs he would move among nw people like yich and rare perfume.

After I had gone to Houstol1 lI.e.....1I8s hit by a car and I was called back to

r-1emph111 for the funeral. It was the largest funera.l that I have ever known.

I doubt if any minister in our state ever had one so large. Thi s man had

had a frui ttul ministry through the years but his most frui tful period I

dares~ was between eighty and ninety. -Iven the youth shall faJuit and be

weary. and the .young men shall utterly fall. but they that wait upon the

Lord Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles.

l'hey Shall 'run and not be weary. ~hey shall walk and not fa!. nt'"

~d..d L_'-1 ......( £., .eQ.

.;

j

j

j

,-oJ . -.....~,. - - ,

-3-

Because this is the case no one need ever come to an old

"What are laux.els and wreaths to a brow that is wrinkled?It is but as dead flowers with May dew besprinkled.

Then.away with all such from the brow that is hoary,What care I for wreaths that can only give glory?'

age that is bitter and tragio. It is altogether possible, in spite

of everything that the years oan do to the contrary, for us to remain

But to right thinking folks the passing of youth is by

no means a calamity. Vast multitudes find life far fuller after

they have past forty or fifty than they did before. Multitudes

of woman are far more attractive after they have passed out of

life's springtime. Personally I find myself in life's middle

passage, but never once have I been tempted to sing, "Backward,

turn backward, 0 time in your flight." If such were to happen I

should suffer quite a collapse. I should only be a tow-headed boy

with the nickname of "Muttonhead," haVing to milk four or five

crumply-horned cows night and morning. The passing of youth,

therefore, is not in my opinion a calamity.

There is a tragedy, however, that is too bitter for tears,

and that is to get old in heart. That is the only old age that is

really to pe dreaded, and-that does not neoessarily depend upon the

passing of the years at all. Some of the oldest folks I have ever

known were hardly out of their teens. Some of the youngest that I

have ever known had passed four score. Whether you are old or young,

therefore, does not depend upon how many birthdays you have had.

Whether you are old or young is a matter of your inner life. It is

a quality of the spirit.

"H- 1-......",".

, -3-

abidingly youthful. We find a classic illustration of this in the

oase of John Quincy Adams. One day a friend met him, as you remember,

and asked how he was. "John QUincy Adams is well, I thank you," was

the answer, "but the house in which he lives is very dilapidated.

it is tottering upon its foundation. Its walls are shaky and its

roof worn. I think he is going to have to move out of it very soon.

But wr himself is quite well. 1I Time has no weapon against such a

dauntless soul as that.

A~n preacher told that story to his radio audience

a few years ago. The following week he had a letter from a woman

of a like youthful spirit. liThe House in which I live,1I she wrote,

"is eighty-two years old. I II1tlst confess that it does not look as

well as it did fifty years ,ago. For one reason I have not kept it

painted as is the custom with so many women today. I have given my

time to interior decorating.

tenant upon the top floor."

Then, too, I have a very reliable~

Here again the almanac .. the calendar

i

L#! 't .

stand in utter defeat and embarrassment. They shoot their darts in

vain.at suoh a youthful and courageous heart. If we grow Old,

therefore, it is not of necessity. It is our own fault •

.~~~

II

But oftentimes w4«thering and blighting old age slips upon

us unawares. It steals on us like a thief in the night. There was

a tradition years ago about the vampire b~t. The bat was said to be

a blood-sucker. If it came upon one sleeping ~ in the open it would

fan its victim so gently with its wings that the poor unfortunate only

sank into deeper slumber while the ugly creature sucked his life blood•

. So old age sometimes drinks up the well springs of our youth without

our being aware of it. What are some of the marks that ought to

indicate to us that we are getting old?

1. One sure mark of old age is staggering under trifles.

It is "much ado about nothing." In one of the most marvellously

beautiful descriptive passages in the literature of the world we

find this as an infallible mark of old age: "The grasshopper shall

be a burden." Here is one who has a weight upon his shoulders that

is so trifling th~t it is no heavier than a grasshopper. But he

goes staggering and tottering and grumbling along as if he had an

elephant on his shoulders. Such a one, says the authar of

Ecclesiastes, is old whether he is seventeen or seventy.

Measured by that test, how old are you? Do you raise a

howl over the least inconveniencet Do you go about your friends

and neighbors displaying every little pin scratch that comes to

you as if you were wounded to the death? Do you go moaning under your

little ounce of disappointment or opposition, and complain as if you

~ere carrying a ton? If you are forever threatening to quit, if you

are" bemoaning your sad fate and making mountains out of mole hills,

then believe me you are getting old, regardless of how few birthdays

y<:>u have had.

2. The second mark of old age is timidity. This same keen

writer says that one are mark of old age that is deadly is this: " He

shall be afraid of that which is high." He no longer ventures. He

no longer dares to gather himself together and hurl himself for life

or death into any great enterprise. He has lost his enthusiasm. He

has lost his daring. He has lost his winsome madness.

One day a man young in years came to Jesus all enthusiasm.

"Lord," he said with glowing oheeks and sparkling eyes, "1 will follow

Thee wherever thou goest." And the heart of~esus warmed to him. But

He saw he had no adequate understanding of what. was involved. And then

Jesus said to him, "Do you dare? Have you the recklessness and madness

to venture everything for me? 1 may have to go supperless to bed. I

-5-

may have to sleep on the mountain side. Foxes have holes and the

birds of the air have nests. But the Son of man hath not where to

lay his head. In spite of these grim facts, dare you make the

adventure?" And the young man slunk away because, though youthful

in body, he was old and infirm in heart.

Here is anotherman, one of the most charming and bracing

characters of the Old Testament. Long ago he had been one of the

spies that had gone to spy out the Land of Bromise. He had urged

upon those of that generation the importance of going at once to

possess the land. But he and his friend Joshua were voted down.

But Caleb never grew sour. He never lost his daring. He at last

entered the land and helped to conquer it in part. But there was

one stronghold that had not been captured. And Caleb comes at the

age of eighty-five to ask the privilege of doing the most difficult

thing he had ever done in'his life. We never grow old till we lose

our courage. But when we lose it we are old regardless of what

the calendar may have to say.

3. A third sure mark of old age is the disparaging of the

present and the future and a mournful looking back to the past. When

the exiles returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their sacred city and

temple they had to face great difficulties and hamahips. At last

the foundation was laid and there went up a great shout. But the

shout was a beWildering mixture. Some were weeping bitter tears of

regret. Others were weeping tears of sheer joy. The tears of regret

were shed by the old folks. As they looked at the temple they said,

"It is nothing like so large and wonderful as the one where we used

to worship when we were young." But youth shouted over it. It was

the only temple they had ever seen and to them it was full of fine

hopes and possibilities.

'1

1!I

I

1, ....~

-6-

Now I am not urging.upon you the necessity of shutting

your eyes to the eVils of our present day. We have them and they

are many. 'There is a speoies of optimism that is silly because it

is blind. The young generation with which you and I have to do is

not perfect. But ne~ther were we in our day. The progress of the

world has not moved in one straight line upward. There have been

ebbs and flows. I used to stand on the banks of the Buffalo

River and see water aotua11y flow up stream. But I did not for

that reason~ despair of its ever reaching the sea. There are

ebb tides in the history of our race, but the main trend is upward.

And all our hope certainly lies in the future and not in the past.

If your face is toward yesterday, then your days of

usefulness are over. You are too old to be of service. Whatever

may be wrong with the present, it is your day and mine. We have

got to seek to understand it and to appreciate Jr and to believe in

it. I think I realize keenly how dreadfully easy it is in such

times as these to get discouraged and to throw up your hand and to

allow yourself to become oonvinoed that this whole generation is

headed for the rooks. But that has been fairly easy in every day

of the history of the world.

"My grandpa notes the wor1dt s worn oogsAnd says"We are going to the dogs."

His grandpa in a hut of 10g8 ;Vowed "Things are going to the dogs."

His grandpa in the Irish bogsSwore, "We are going to the dogs."

His grandpa, dressed in oave mants togsMoaned "Things are going to the dogs."

But this is all I have to state,The dogs have had an awful w:oJ.;t

,Have you lost hope? Are you oonstant1y bewailing the fact

that everything has gone or is going to the dogs? If so that is no

indioation that you are right in your propheoy. It only indicates

that you are old, tmo1d to venture, too old to hope, too old to

-7-

believe either in today or tomorrow. How far finer is the wonderful

oha11enge of Ulysses, battered as he is with the cruel fists of the

years:"Come, my friends,

'Tis not too late to seek a newer world••••••••••••••••• My purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the bathsOf all the western stars, until I die.It may be the gulf will wash us dOwn;It may be we shall touch the happy isles,And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.Though muoh is taken, muoh abides; and thoughWe are not now that strength which in old daysMoved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;One equal temper of heroic hearts,Made weak by time and fate, but strong in willTo strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

III

Now if we find ourselves growing old, how shall we cure

it? Or if we are yet young, what is the antidote against old age?

We have already hinted that there are certain remedies

that do not work. We oannot stay young by merely ignoring the

calendar. You may keep your age a profound secret, but it has no

sUch retioence. Hide the family record ever so cleverly, you keep

one of your own. One trouble with not telling your age is that

folks go ahead and guess at it and usually over guess it.

Then what is more pathetic still, some of us try to keep

up the same routine and live just as we did when we were really young

in years. To see some old granddaddy marry a young wife and take in

all the social functions and danoe till the small hours of the night

and olaim that he feels just as fit at sixty ~s he did at six, is to

burst into loud laughter were the speotac1e not so pathetio. There is

f

t it- .' t

, ,

no fountain of youth. The beauty parlor may help for a little while

but only for a little while. And having your face lifted while your

soul is bowed down is an utter failure.

1. The first step toward remaining young, and this suggestion

is not original, is to accept your age, Whatever it is, without fret.

Those who fight against getting old the hardest, usually get old the

fastest. I do not mean by that that we are not to take the best

possible care of ourselves. I am warning you against that fret and

worry that refuses to accept the inevitable gracefully. I have seen

~ drunk man fall from a horse without receiving any hurt. Had a

sober man.got the same fall it would doubtless have broken some of

his bones, possibly his neck. The fall was less of a shock with

the drunk man because he was relaxed. And if we learn to relax as

we fal1 against the years, they will nothurt us half so much.

2. We keep our youth by waiting on God. "They that wait

upon the Lord shall renew their strength." There is no magic about

this. It is the most natural and common sense thing in the world.

Those that wait on God, which means those that pray, those that keep

open the window of their soul, those that enter into fellowship with

God, renew their youth beoause they are set at liberty from themselves.

Many aged folks would find themselves growing yo~ if they would

take their minds off of their own gray hairs and wrinkles and seek

to heal the world's wounded and disordered heart. Here the words of

Jesus are sublimely true, "He that seeketh to save his life shall

lose it and he that loseth his life shall find it."

Then those who wait on the Lord renew their strength and

keep their youth because they keep their interest in this present

world. In the opening of the Book of Joshua we have this sentenoe,

"Now it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of the

Lord, that the Lord spake unto Joshua." Moses belonged to another

\"

genera.tion.

-9-

God was deeply interested in Moses, but when the

generation of whioh Moses was apart had passed God did not lose

Kis interest. He has not lost His interest in this generation.

Folks wither up and grow old the minute they lose interest. God

never loses interest, and those that walk with God never lose

interest. Therefore they never grow old.

Then wai ti. ng on God keeps us young beoause it keeps us

full of hope. He is the God of hope. He is the Christ that teaches

us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is

in heaven." I believe that this prayer is one day going to be

answered. Those who walk with Him share the same bracing a.nd

youthful faith. They believe that the golden ~ge is not in yesterday

but in tomorrow. Therefore they stand with sunny faces amidst the

struggling and blundering generation that now is and say, "Look not

mournfully into the past/ t ~~. ~L,.~

improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the futUre without

fear and with a manly heart."

Finally they that wait on God keep their youth because into

our emptiness,~constantlyflowing,~is fullness. God Himself is blessed

with immortal youth. "Hast thou not heard that the Lord, the Creator

of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is He weary?" In our

own strength we faint. Our energies become e:xhausted~ But as we

wait on the Lord there flows into our lives a power beyond the human.

As the sap rises in the w~nter-stripped apple tree and decks !t in

colors beautiful as a ,fune bride, so there come, into our wasting

energies, tides of divine life that make it impossible for us to

ever grow old.

.-

J., -10-

IV

The outcome of this abiding youth enables us to make of

life a climax rather than an anti-climax as it so often is. Thosewwl. .

thus young"sha11 mount uPvbef~ as eagles." That is, they shall

be seers of visions and dreamers of dreams. "They shall run and

not be weary." That is, they shall meet life's tests and life's

crises with a strength that will enable them to triumph. Last of

all "they shall walk and not faint." It is easier to 'fly than it

is to run. It is fax easire to run than it is to wa1k~ Walking

is so prosaic, so slow, so monotonous. And yet with the possession

of this spirit of immortal youth, when life slows down with us and

we can only plod, we shall do so joyfully and

fainting.

without

.. ~

; I

And this dear heart is not simply a theory, It is what

I have actually seen take place in more lives than one. I have a

man in mind now who enjoyed a long fruitful ministry. By and by,

at the age of four score, he found it necessary to superannuate.

He was not able to preach any more. But he was always in his place

at prayer meeting and the preaching services. Where there was sorrow

he was present as a comforte~. Where there was joy he was present to

share it.And when he went home to God his funeral was possibly the

largest that his city had ever seen. And the most fruitful days of

his ministry were not those when he mounted up with wings as eagles.

They were those when he waJked and by the grace of God did not faint.

The older he grew the more winsome he became. That is the secret of

unfailing youth.

"Let me grow lovely growing oldSo many fine things do,

Laces, ivory and goldAnd silks need not be new.

There is ~ea1ing in old treesOld SU'= ,,~ a glamor hold

~shou1d not we, as theseGrow lovely growing old. 1

,- ':t~c,; ":"H;<C~..;'<i.:'·:,. , . ':"_:---'--'l',-":'~~::;J,~.;i:J~:\~ ~_:':":":~:,~,,>:, ":~": _ _,:<'~,::' ;_~"i~}",;ii;',,~,?:::

;l"'"~ not my purpoae to use thl~ text.· lo,n11 oame upon ~ t

-;;~·Dl1d,,"Tot1QAA~,;1l8al).1ng. But it apoke so definitely and per-,.". , .'. - . . .. ' . . - - . ... .-

;~~;»;.:,.o'lfIl1.:p.t.ci-t)Hl~.f~~~(lnot ;Q.ass ~ tby~. Therefore. I bring

"'1.,' 18>a.pro~j.-,e:f1Ued ~o oV6r-f~0!1n8~Withgenuine oom!pr#i~. - .• " • '._ "',/~~,c..,~, __,,\, - _" ~ .' ',- . -", ".,.. .•_ -: . . "",c, -;;,'

~po~ ~ ·1J• .M"S~,t101,.,~t 1011w111 IlQ,t11ke' 1tt~ but1f YQu.~~81

, .... ··;·~J·O~-1Wcl'01'W1ii " justtth;- ;~a~.stJQJ'wl11q~<'-<-~/ -~-~"f':;' - - ." -" ';". --. ;..,?~......

lilt i,JDR;u.ei;~_ th 11:1 ptomlse? Ii1. will help the~. ri \that

'i:!'~~~!:rj.;;S .~U.9b<")~Ord.,,!,,,:~1,;~{~us,t~ti~,p,ted h&~p. An41 io:r _ llID not'aS~d h

,~8."'if:'Qlln..•d., In makl~$,8uob. .olmowlttdgDla,pt there,) 1S' nothi1l80f.. :~.-.".,._.:~- " ','~' . ~. . .' .~--

-'i< .' '" . . '. . ' . '. '. . .' ,Pe. :p~1ng1ng spir!t of tb.ft.. begga1f.~The1'~ is nothing 01 the whine 'of the

piJ'~1aJ;entaponge. .. !h4~' are ,ijomefolkS the' 8re all'l'1sasklng for'":-':.",,,.,c':'-'< ,~ <". - ".' - ._, .._.. " "- ~, ,. ,

,~'.liJoJllebh~p.g.' If they do not, 'ask "fol' it openlY the ~e broad hillts whioh~. ~-' ~."

c'

·'~;t.cs;fazwoi:'se_ May the Lord. deliver U$ from the' type of Oharaoter whose

:."~opt ql!.~ t~Ol;l 1s. whstare iOa going to Si VI me. Suoh, soul is, verl ueedy~ ~. (

, ,

-&l1tt~~his ohief need Is' for 8 fre$h baptlsm of 861f-J'8speo t. 1l.~tI when J~ocl:'. ,> ''?!ii'; , , ., ....

o~r9:Qb •.m8persona~11'~and S81a.,?1 w1~1 h.i":~:~~~",:!'ll' says itbe,oallfi~r{~;..;;~ "_ -.c. _ .:":~. ;'~-~:~_:-:,~::;_}i~?_~' -, .- . ,. _,.. ,'::,"

bha 1:; I ne.~ h8;1.P a,nd,: frOID my he~#'!INl~i118S.ll0nd With a hear'ty ,

'Ido ue8dhelpi I '08nn~' osrryoQ. it~~fL1fe's, seas a1''' .+~:I'- ~-;'~~?'~-" : ...~

to naV8:$ste th,eIIl j,n. my own:;t~.~tl)_.. " . -~_. . ~

•

Refp

too diffioult for me to oome thru with honor without help. I need assist­

anoe. I need it at this very moment. I shall need it every moment thru

the endless ages.

And what is true of me is true of you. and is true of every man

that lives. It is true pf every man that has lived. It is true of every

man that will live in the ooming tomorrow. Look at the pages of history.

Read the 1~ve8 of the world's strong men. Every nBe of them was in des-

- perate need of help. Everyone who failed to get such help made ship­

wreok. For instanoe. Saul was a promising man, olean and youthful and

strop.g. But he rejeoted the help that was offered and fell on his own

sword and went out into the dark.

Jesus tells the sto~y of a man who was wonderfully self-suffi­

oient.Thoroughly sucoessful was he. Yet. some how there was a laok.

There was a need that had not yet been met. But he said I oan meet it in

my own strength. I will do it by pulling down thesesD8ll barns and build­

ing greater. But his self-suffioiency stamped his brow with the marks of

eternal imbeoility. and he went out to meet God an empty handed fool.

Napoleon made a similar experiment. He deolared that God was on the side

of the strongest batallion. He did not need God at all. "Then God took a

snow flake and a drop of water and a ditoh and an onion and defeated him."

If you are weak you. need help. If you are strong you. need help. Every

human soul shares thiS desperate need.

II

Now who is it 'that in our desperate hours comes forward with anit

offer of help? Who is/that never fails to do so? Who is it that may be

absolutel~ oounted upon today and forever?

It is not some human friend. Let us thankfully acknowledge that

often they do come. How much they help us: There is no estimating the

value of a friend. When Charles Kingsley was asked f~ the seoret of his

radiant life. he answere, "I had a friend.".

I am oonfident that the reason

L

tI

t

I am bere tonight under God is beoause of the friends He has given me along

the way. When I was siok in a strange land there oame a friend. When I

was struggling thru the first year of my ministry, my work was made posaible.

largely by a friend. Many a man has been sa~ed from death physioally and

spiritUally by the haIl(}. olasp of a friend. But hhe help ·offered here is

not one as frail and weak as that of a human friend.

Neither does the promise of help come from gre~t strong men.

Henry Ford is strong in the realm of money. Were he to send for me and

tell me that he would help me to the limit of his ability, that would be

a oomfort so far 8S finanoial IIBtters are conoerned. Were the President

,to inform me that he would undertake to further me in all my enterprises

some would count me fortunate •. They would oongratulate me upon my prospects.

But this promise is far greater than that.

Who is it then that in my weakness tell me eagerly, "I will help

thee," It 1s none other than God Himself. He puts Himself at my disposal

as He puts Himself at yours. That fact ought to bring a burst of springtime

to every heart. It ought to bring a shimmering sunrise to every darkened

life. It ought to let loose a flook of skylarks in every troubled soul.

Whatever may be the attitude of the world, whether it smile or frown, Whether

it pelts us with stones or smothers us with roses, He declares clearly,

..

"I will help you. I will see you thru."

One glory of this premise at least is that our Lord knows how to

help. He knows our needs' He knows just what our weakness is. He knows

wh~n we ache. Sometimes the physician that we lave and trust makes a wrong

·diagnos1s. Jesus never does • .As you toss half maddening by life's·fitful

fever. there is On, at your very side t~t is able to touch you into a

great and blessed peaoe.

Not only does Jesus know what is _.onS, not only is He willing

to help us. but He is abundantly able. There are times when our hearts

fairly break .with sympathy. but there. is so little that we oan do. I shall

never forget theSeptembeX" morning that my father went home. It was the.first time that I had ever come faoe to face With death. But after tbS first

shook of it passedaw8Y. it was more of my mother that I thought than of

myself. I had life before me. I would find other loves. Her's was behind

her. Row I should have liked to have helped. but how little I could do.

But He 1s always able to do exceedingly. abundantly above all that we ask or

think•. Ie looks at you with eyes tender and full of understanding and says.

"I will help you." Have your friends failed you? Have your own loved ones

forgotten yoU? Has the church seemed to turn its back upon you? Then all

the more reason why you should listen to Him for this promise is to every

one of us individually.

III

How does God prospse to help US? That is. what is the na ture of t:he

help that he gives. He gives us any help that we really need.

1. He helps us to be other than we are. Few. I take it. are satia-

..'5-

Help

fied. with themselves.

"0 th.a t the man would arise in me,That the man I am may oease to be."

That 1s practically a universal longing. It wf4s that longing that sent

that white haired ruler of the Jews to call one night on Jesus. He was not

satisfied with Kimself. And Jesus told him how he might be different. He

said, "You must be born again." Nioodemius is dumbfounded. He sees the

desirability of What Jesus says b~t has no idea how to reach it. "How oan

these things be," he answers. "I will help you," is the reply of Jesus.

"God so loved the world that He gave HiS only begotten Son that who so ever

believeth in· Him should not perish but have everlasting life.·".'

~2. I will help iou in YOllr fight with temptation. Temptation is

ahead of you. Old habits must be broken, Old sins conquered. You will

never win in your own strength. Here is one who promises to be at your

side. He promises to see you thru. He Jioesnot promise exemption from

oonfliot, but he does promise tba t he will enable you to fight the ba t tle

'bravely and bring you out of it with honor.

3. I will help you find your plaoe in .life. Many here present are

young. You know that God meant you for something, but you are at a loss

to know What that soma thing is. You have a life to invest but you do not

know ~ust Where to invest it. He will help you to fit yourself in yoUr

place. "In all thy ways aoknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path."

4. Not only will he help you to find your p~oe, but He will help

you to do your work w~en you find it. He will fill life full of richness

and me,ning. He will orowd it' with noble purposes. He proposes to give

r you beauty for ashes. There are so many who have little but ashes.

'........(~ ,

•

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Help

The.1r dreams and hopes and ambi tions have been burned up. He can change

these dead and Withered and burned up things into life and beauty. He

oan give you something deep for which to live.

I read a rather strange and fasoinating story the other day.

Th.re was a oertain man in 8 distant city who lost his grip. Life changed

from a zestful purposeful something into a meaningless drab monotony. At

last in sheer desperation he went to the river and threw himself in to end

it all. But a man passed by Who had a brother's heart. When he saw that

here was one who was drowning he forgot that he himself could not swim.

He wreoklessly threw himself into the water with the drowning man.

The wouldbe suicide not wanted to be interrupted swam out of

his' way. When he looked baok he saw that the one who had oome to his

resoue was drowning. He realized that he could not swim and was in des­

peratenae4 of help. Here was something that he could do, worthless and

useless as he was. so he postponed his death long enough to save the man

who had tried to befriend him. And haVing brought him safe to land he

had to see him home. and haVing seen him home he had to nurse him, and as

he served life became beautiful and ridh and worthwhile. It never failS

to do so when we give ourselves to another's need.

6. I will help you bear your sorrow. That familiar song that we

Bing has this word, "0 what needless pain we bear." It is passing strange

how few of those who are burdened really avail themselves of the offered

help of Jesus. And yet if there is any particular in which Jesus has

shown Himself Lord and Master above others. it is in this, His power to

help those who suffer. He is the Christ of the bruis'd reed. Standing

in the presenoe of your life with its wreokage, with its hopes gone to

IfJj-

.'

Help

waste, with its dreams unrealized. he says "Oome unto me all ye that

labor and are' heavy 'laden and I will g1 ve you rest."

IY.

And now far the supreme qusstion. What are we going to do with

this offered help. We are going to do ona of two things.

1. Some of us are going to reject it. That is strange. It would

be unbelievable if we did not know its truth in our own tragic experienoe.

But'in spite of the faot that Christ really does break thru. that he really

aomes With tender sympathy and.yearming to offer us help. we look sadly

-at ,Him with inoredulouB eyes. shake our heads and walk away. Sometimes

we goflippantly. sometimes we go snearingly. sometimes we go sadly as

did the rioh young ruler. We look wistfully baok over our shoulders

now and then wondering if we have not made a mistake. and yet we go.

Do you remember Beauty Steele in "The Right of Way". He is one

. of the most clearly drawn oharacters in modern literature. A keenly

disappointed man whose disappointment had made him synical and bi~ter.

He was a man of ability and of wreokless oourage. Those who knew him

admired him but did not love him. Out at the saloon one night When the

bUilding was orowded by lumbermen, Frenoh Catholios, he sang. "There

is rest for the weary." The orowd joined in the song for they were

fanatioally religious.

But when the song was over. Beauty Steele made.a speeoh.

He rediculed the idea of heaven. And those drunk and half-drunk lumber­

men began to rage. Everybody oould see that the speaker was Signing his

own death warrant. but he went quietly on. Then the most Witty man in

I

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Help

all the lumber oamp made his way thru the orowd, stepped to the side of

the speaker and said quietly. "I will stand by you." This he did beoause

he admired Steele's oold oourage. And what did Steele do. He fixed his

monoole in his eye. stared at him olearly, "Beg your pardon. but have I

bean introduoed to you." No wonder they found Steele'floating down the

river the next day with a oraoked skull.

Some months ago a man a man seemed struggling in the waters of

the Hudson river. An offioer rushed out on a piere and threw him a rope.

It fell right at the man's hand. In 0001 pre senoe of mind he took the

end of the rope and flung it from him and shouted baak. "To hell with the

rop~. I am through." He went to the bottom beoause he refused the proffered

help. And there are suoh mad men all about us Virtually saying what he

said but saying it to Jesus Christ. flinging the Cross. flinging the

ohuroh. flinging the gospel from them, even pushing away the hand that . !was torn by the nails. Yes. men refuse the help Jesus offers. That is

'the only reason that their life is not radiant with His presenae •

•2. Then there are others that aaoept his offered help. Some do so

with misgivings. Some do so harshly. But there are others who fling

themselves with abandon into his arms and who make possible the working

of His will in their lives. Paul was a pro~d man. but when Jesus offered

his help he was not too proud to take it. The Pharisee said. I aan get

on some hoW. and sor·ae swaggered off without Je sus. The publi aan said I

oan't. so he went down to his house justi'fied.

When Jesus was going out to oalvary. He fell under the weight

of His own aross, and there was a man there. a oolored maD so it seems. and

he,,'" 'tt ;"'t ( '). -. h. 1$ if 'k

'.¥ he ~took the crosso! Jesus on his own shoulders and Jesus was not too proudi";

~, to let him oarry it for him. He will aooept your help. He yearns for it.t·~,

Be feels that He oannot run His world aright without it. Surely you ought

not to be too proud to aooept His. "1 will help you." If you will aooep-t

His help that soul garden of yours that has been the home of despair will

beoome a veritable garden of nightingales. Your own heart will be made

unspeakably glad and you will also gladden Him whoae help you have aooepted.

He is love and love is never so happy as wben it oan serve and is never

so. miterable as When its·' offers of help are bruShed aside.

Isaiah 43: 24

sweet cane. It had to be brought from abroad. Jeremiah tells us that it came

lifti11 religious, but the1r's was a cheap religion. The deVil that was threateninS

the one genuinely costly someth1Dg that went into this 011.

"Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money."

It was left out because the people were unwilling to pay for it. Maybe times were

What is this strange charge that the Prophet is bringing against b,js peOPle?

It certainly squnds as if he is mjoring on minors. It would seem as U he has

Now because this sweet cane was costly it was being lett out. This was the

)1....JDeVi1~. Cheapness)

I.

lost a proper sense of values. What is this sweet cane that the Israelites baYe

ease not because it was no lo:m.ger needed. Its presence was divinely commanded.

necessary to economize. When therefore they began to cut down expenses, wher, didwf.4"'~"'~~ t.~,_

they turn first? They did not turn to their 1u:xuries9lor to\o01tiIe-. necessities &f Hfe,

they began to economize on religion. It is an old and familiar story. They were

a b1t hard. Perhaps there was a depression. Possibly the people felt tbat it was

from a far country. It was for this and other reasons quite erpensive. It was

ntused. to buy? It was one of the ingredients that went into the holy aJmo1nt1ng~

011 that was used in their worship in the temple. All the other ingredients were

home-grown. They were qUite inexpensive. But such was not the case with this

r'~'~_O", ~~.

i

"Cheapness"r

them was the devil of the bargain counter.

Page 2

This bargain counter devil is one of the most deadly with which we have to

deal. A highly successful man lays it down as a law that if we miss the prizes

~.which we set our hearts we »snGt,. did not :Pe&l:l:T desire them. Or we did not

desire them deeply enough to be willing to pay the price. While this is not uni-

"'ersally true,it is true more often than some would like to acknowledge. Of

course this does not mean that we can do anything that might strike our fancy.

But if we are serious we can find and fill the place for which we are most fit.

But cheapness works greater disaster nowhere than it does in religion. But that

1s just the charge that migh't be brought against much of the religion of today.

II.

What is wrong with a cheap religion?

i. A cheap religion is one that satisfies neither God nor man. It 1s one

that always ends in partial or total failure. We need not be surprised at this.

All cheap things are likely to be of 11ttle worth. We are forever thronging the

bargain counter in life. But generally we are cheated. We love to read those

advertisements that begin by saying, "Free." But if you take them seriously you

find that nothing is free that is really worth having. Other things being equal

we get what we pay for in this world and we get no more. This is true in every

realm.

First, take these physical bodies for instance. All of us would like to have .

strong, healthful bodies. Often in youth we do not appreciate the importance of

this as much as we should. This body is the house in which I live. If it is weak,

if it is threatening any day to fall to pieces, however good may be my mind, however

athletic may be my soul, both of these are greatly handicapped. Of course good

health is not possible to everybody. Some of us are born with heavy handicaps, but

it is possible for a vastly larger number than ever attain it. }any have begun life

"Cheapness" Page 3

with physical weaknesses, but have attained strength by sheer grit and determina-

tion. How many have looked at their weakness and then at their possible good health,

and have said to themselves with dogged determination, "That is what I desire and

that is what I am going to have, cost what it may." That was a high resolve of Theo-

dore Roosevelt. He began life a weakling, but he hated weakness and loved strength.

He was so eager to be strong that he was willing to pay the price. He 11);14., "What-

ever it may cost I am going to have a strong, healthful body." And he attained it.

The other day I read a story that filled me with admiration. There was a cer-

tain young woman in New York City who weighed 470 pounds. But she rebelled against

this prison house of fat, put herself under a ,physician and lost· 300 pounds. That

is a real triumph. But it costs more than most over-heavy folks are willing to pay.

For instance, I have in mind a lovely friend a little more than five feet in height

who tips the scales at 240. When she stands she has a figure for all the world like

a raised umbrella. Naturally she oonstantly acknowledges her manifold sins and trans-

gressions, but once she goes to the table"she eats like a little bird, that is by the

peck." She would like to 1088 weight, but she is not willing to pay the price.

L

Then there is intellectual attainment. I used to teach sChool. I found a few

pupils that did not care to know anything. I foUnd a few others that already knew.

They were born educated. But the vast majority would have been glad to have known i/

provided it had not cost anything. Who would n~ know his lesson if nothing was to,

be done about it except to rub a book on the side of his head just before going to

bed'? But since to know was expensive, since it required some hard prosaic work,

though they coveted the prize they did not covet it enough to pay the price.

The same is true in the pursuit of our vocations. Row 1!IB.ny of us achieve only

a fraction of our usefulness because we insist on the easy way'? I know ministers

better than I know any other group. It is my conviction that, take them all in all,

they are about the finest body of men in the world. But the cheap and easy way appeals

to us as it does to the rest. I said to a group of ministers sometime ago this seem-

"Cheapness" Page 4

ingly ugly word,-"Ninety-five percent of us do not preach half as well as we could."

This, I think, is true. I had a request from a brother over in Atlanta this week

for a sermon especially for him, that I was to dash off in my spare moments. His

idea seemed to be that dashing off sermons was as easy as falling asleep. But no

worthwhile work of any kind is done without a bit of sweat and agony. Even genius

has been described as an infinite capacity to take pains.

This same law holds in religion. The greater the prize as a rule, the greater

the price we must pay to attain it. It doesn't take long to grow a toadstool but

it takes a century to grow a giant oak. It is easy to be a weakling, it takes

wrestling with conflict to be a man. Jesus never once hinted that to be a Christian

was the easiest way to get through life. Always with that engaging frankness of his

he told his would-be disciples that it was expensive. This is not denying that sal­

vation is free. Physical strength is also free, intellectual development is free,

c~racter is free, but it only comes at the price of conflict.

The South Sea Islanders have a theory that when a man slays an enemy the strength

of that enemy enters into htmse1f. Thenceforth he is strong not simply with his own

strength, but with the strength of his fallen foe. That is certainly true in the

realm pf character. Every conflict we meet and overcome adds to our strength. Every

surrender we make to our own softness and laziness adds to our weakness. When Samson

slew the lion he came back days later to find honey in his carcass, hence he pro­

pounded that riddle, "Out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came

forth sweetness." To take the difficult way is to come to our best. To take the

easy way is to rot down.

III.

Why is the soft and easy religion a failure?

1. It is a failure because the man who makes ease the test never enters the

Kingdom at all. Jesus emphasizes this fact over and over again. One day his dis-

"Cheapness" Page 5

cip1es came asking him, "Are there few that be saved?" That was a purely specula­

tive question. Jesus refused to say whether there were few or many. Instead he

gave this answer,-"Strive to enter in at the straight gate." Whether anybody enters

or not depends upon whether that one is willing to pay the price of striving. Now

this word, strive, is a strong, athletic word. It means to strive as athletics

strive in the athletic field. It means to strive as soldiers strive on the field

of battle. It means to strive as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane. It means

struggle, desperate and earnest to the point of parting with life.

It is this unwillingness to pay the price that perhaps shuts more people out

of the Kingdom than any other one cause. The appeal of Jesus is universal. Nobody

can look at bdmand not have same desire to be like him. The prizes that he offers

are the most fascinating. Yet many of us miss them. Some of us look and see that

the prize costs more than we are willing to pay and turn away without even an ef­

fort. Others of us cannot say a flat and final "no." We make a feeble effort.

But being unwilling to go all the way in our efforts:eachieve only a pitiful fract­

ion of our possibilities. The pages of the Bible and of life are full of such

characters.

Take for instance the Ten Spies. These were a part of a great adventure. Under

the leadership of MOses they had left the land of bondage to journey to the land of

promise • Arrived upon the border of this land of their dreams they were chosen along

with two others to spy out the land. It was a great honor. They must bave gone

eagerly. But arrived in the land of their hopes they found themselves confronted

by difficulties that mde them afraid. They saw that the undertaking was going to

demand conflict and struggle to which their gallantry was not equal. Therefore they

brought back an evil report of the land. They might have gone back and said frankly,

"It is a great country, but we are too so1't to take it." But instead they rational­

ized as we so often do. They had a good reason for their failure. But the tragedy

of it all was that they missed the prize that might have been theirs i1' they had

"Cheapness" Page 6

only dared to take it.

There is a story ot a preaching serviee in the Book of Acts that never tails

to grip me. Felix with his paramour Drucilla has decided to expose his clay soul

to Paul, the tLaming evangelist. "As Paul reasoned ot righteousness, temperance,

and ot jUdgement, Felix was terrified." He was moved to the depths ot his being.

But what was the outcome? He said, "Go thy way tor this time." What was the mat­

ter? It was not that he did not care tor the wares that Paul had to otter. It was

not that this amazing gospel made no appeal to him. Why then did he miss the prize?

Why when he might have been tree did he remain a slave? YWhy when he might have

mounted upon wings as eagles did he grovel like a pig? There is only one reason.

He knew that it he became a Christian he would have to give up this woman. He was

simply unwilling to pay the price.

Here is another man that is almost as tar ahead of Felix as a sunrise is ahead

ot a g].ow-worm. He represents the best in the society of that day. We know him as

the Rich Young Ruler. He was rich in things, rich in youth, rich in position. He

was also rich in cleanliness. He had kept himself without spot morally. He was

rich in a high and holy discontent. He could be satistied with nothing less than

the best. He was rich in courage and enthusiasm. He dared to run down the road in

the tace of the crowd and kneel in the presence of Jesus. He was rich in ~everenee.

As he thus kneeled he asked the great question that we all ask in one way or another.

It is the one supreme question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal lite?" How can

I get hold ot lite that is good today and will be good tomorrow? How can I get hold

ot lite that will thrill me in youth and in eventide? How can I tind lite that will

be with me through the valley ot the shadow of death, that will be mine in ever­

growing fullness when I reach the other side? "Go thy way," said Jesus, "sell that

thou hast and give to the poor, and COlIS and follow me." But we read ot him this

tragic sentence,-"He went away. t' Why did he go away? Not because Jesus made no

appeal. He went away because he was not willing to pay the price.

J

"Cheapness" Page ?

t t

2. Then to seek the cheap and easy way ends in failure even though we have

made a successful beginning. To enter the Kingdom demands surrender. To reBllalin

in the Kingdom demands a continuous surrender. This is the reason that so many

professing Ohristians are dissatisfied with their Ohristian experience,-they are

ha10earted. They make it impossible for God to do for them what he longs with

inf'inite longing to do. However rich your religious experience may be, begin to

make ease rather than right the test of what you do and the light will go out of

your sky.

IV.

Here then are certain palpable facts we all need to face.

1. .Tesus has wares to offer for which everybody longs and which everybody

needs. The psychologists tell us that there are certain eVils that lay waste life,

that destroy personality. It names these eVils under four heads. First, enmity.

If' you hate somebody, your hate may not wrong that indiVidual, but it will destroy

you. Second, worry. Third, guilt. Fourth, self-centeredness. For all these Jesus

has a remedy. This is not theory this is fact. If' you will give himaa chance he

will give you victory over your foes in the here and nOw.

He will change your hate to love. There is no way of loving folks as we ought

except we let Ghrist in our 11ves and allow him to love through us. He will take

away our sense of guilt. He will forgive us. And mark you, forgiveness means not

simply the remission of a penalty, but the restoration of a friendship. He will

give us inward peace. This he will do regardless of our circumstances. However

harshly life may deal with us, we shall find that "the peace of God that passeth

all understanding will keep our hearts and minds through Ohrist .Tesus." l"inally,.,

he will become the center of our world. If' self is the center we can be pushed

about very easily. But if God is the center, nothing can move you. He offers you

a rich and wholesome persona11ty. 'i'hat is something for which everybody longs.

,

"Cheapytess" Page 8

2. But while this is a prize to be coveted, while it is a gift, you must

realize that it is a conditional gift. God oannot give it except through our c~

operation. You may long to give your son an education. But whether you really

give him one or not depends not s1m.Ply upon yourself, not s1mp1y upon his teachers,

but upon the boy. God's gifts are not arbi~rary• .tie can only give as we give. It

we are too soft and cheap and spiritually lazy to give all, then we make it impos-

sible for him to give all.

3. ~'inally, let us bear in mind that however decent and respectable we may

be, if we continually cater to our own softness, the end is certain disaster.

Petty failures that we make day by day will one day issue in a collosal failure.

One of the best illustrations of this is ~ito Mel1ma. in George Elliot's "Romola."

When 'rito comes upon the scene he is as charming and winsome as springtime. It is

almost impossible to resist him. He is kind and wonderfully handsome. But he bas

this fatal defect,-He always takes the easy road. ~his leads him day after day into

petty disloyalties and petty betrayals. By and by without a qualm of conscience he

betrays the man who loves him with beautiful devotion. He leaves this friend to die

in the chains of slavery. But the wronged man wins his freedom. At last Tito dies

with the fingers of his betrayer clutching his throat. But his own softness and

moral cheapness have strangled his soul long before this dark and evil hour.

On the other hand it lIBtters not how far gone we may be, if we are willing to

pay the price, sainthood at its beautiful best is possible. The greatest character,

I think in all fiction is Jean Valjean in Hugo's illInortal story. He was sent to the

galleys for stealing a loaf of bread for his hungry brothers and sisters. He was a

great giant of a fellow and succeeded in making his escape only to have his sentence

prolonged. When he at last came out of prison he was 1mbittered by the injustices

and brutalities of nineteen long years of punishment. He was a beast of a man, a

hater, eager to make others su:ffer as he had suffered. But a certain kindly bishop

was foolish enough to receive him as his guest. That night Jean Valjean robbed the

_____________OOl•••_:::::::::::::::::::::::::t.':":"-:.@::.:t~:':':~:i3ii:*:':':.:..::::\,;:....:.~~<~..:.~....:':·~t~(~:!'!!!!''el i!lr.r.n.I

.,'$

"o!.ap'!"ss,"J ~ /

, ' ...bishop and made his escape.

Page 9

The police caught him and brought him back to the

preacher's door. But the kindly old man informed the officers that he had given

the stolen property to him. Jean Valjean was not used to such kindness. He was

softened by it. That night past midnight he came back to kneel on the stones in

front of the bishop's house and there he resolved at all costs to be like the kindly

man that had saved him from punishment worse than death.

To this resolve he clung through the years. He became a prosperous manu-

facturer.a;~e also became the mayor of his city. Then one day a police officer

came in. "Mr. Mayor," he said, "I want you to dismiss me from the service." "You

want to be dismissed from the service, why?" "Because I have misjudged you." "You

have misjudged me, in what way?"," "I have been thinking that you were Jean Valjean,

the exconvict." The mayor looked searchingly into the eyes of the officer. "You

thought I was Jean Valjean, how do you know that I am not?" "I have discovered

the Jean Valjean in another Oity where he is being tried for life. Therefore I

want you to dismiss me from the service."

"No," said the mayor, "I will not do that, not just yet. You may go now." And

when he had gone the mayor sighed with relief, "At last, at last, that name that has

been a threat for all these years is gone. I am free." But he could not purchase

freedom at that price. Through the long night he drove to the town where the man

supposed to be Jean Valjean was being tried. He entered the court the next morning

to confess his identity. This he did because he preferred a ball and chain round

his ankle than to have one round his SOUl. He took the hard way, the way of the

cross. No wonder he is the gre~test saint in all fiction. This I say then to ~

own heart and to yours. You can have a cheap religion if you will, but if you do,

you will have a religion that will satisfy neither yourself nor God. You can also

have the religion of the Cross. Thet means life abundant here and life abundant yon-

der. And remember that there is no other way.

CHEAP

Isaiah 43-24

.a'filou bast bought me no sweet cane with money.·

I

The text is an indictment. The charge seems at first a

trivial one, bht there is far more here than meets the eye •

. These people have failed in a du ty that was so important that

God saw fit to send his prophet to rebuke them for their sin.

And the prophet came with these words: -Thou hast bought ine no

." sWl;fet cane, wi th, money. II

Sweet ,cane was one af the ingredients that entered into

i::;t;'~:tb,fi~·:~~i~~ointingoilthat was used in c.Dnneetian with the

~~~'·f;.;:tl~~;t,+f;nV~~l,.,~,Tba.:.oi;J..wa.e used to an.no:il1tr' the:;';~~J;:

Holy vessels and especially the Priests that ministered

)e~QrEtthe altar. It VIas a compound of a number of ingredients

but all of these w~re grown at home except one. That was the

sweet cane of our text • This had to be bought from abroad. It_ ~ -a

came as, Hiaiab said from/far country. It was therefore costly.

But it was bought because God commanded its ~se in this Holy

annointing oil.

But there came a day when if you had spoken to a rich mem­

ber of the Church he would. have said: 2Business i13 vez:yndnll,

lIlmney is tight. We must cut down expenses. I do not lmow what

the world is coming to.· So these people began economizing, and

first thing that they eoonomized on was the church. They be­

cutting down expenses and the first item they slashed was that

had to do with the worship of God.-,

........

You a.re not to understand by this that they withheld their

gifts altogether. They went on making and using this ~oly oil.

It was just the same kind that they had used in other days with

.one exception. They left out the most expensive part. They made

their offerings- to the Lord, but they were cbes~ offerings. They

were willing to go on giving, just so their giving was not expen­

sive. Thus it was that they cheapened their religion.arid brought

. 'dishonor to God and disaster to themselves.

Now it seldom pays to buy anything just because it is cheap •

. Bargain counterBgoods are usually disappointing. When I was a boy

I used to wear brogan shoes. Sometimes when things were at their

worst financially, I even wore brogan shoes that were made out of'

~»lit leather. Some of you remember that. After a. few days of

wear among briars and weeds they became almost as furry as a mole.

They were about the cheapest of shoes, but

they were never worth what they cost. But if cheap things in gen-.

e~al are a mistake, the supreme mistake is to have a cheap religion.,

Whene¥er a religion becomes cheap it satisfies neither God nor man.

II

Now I am to speak to you as pointedly and as persuasively as

I can about the needs of our own Church. For the same temptations

that came to the se saints of the long ago come to us today. We are

in danger of cheapening our church. This by the grace of God we must

avoid. To fail to do so is to forfeit our crown and to be untrue to

our Lo!d, and be recreant to the trust that he has put in our hands.I

First Methodist Church has a great past. For a whole century

it has stood at the heart of this growing city with her gospel.of

tight and hope. I think this morning of that great company of men

-3-

and women who have once kneel.ed at her altars who are now in that

blessed country where they need neither camdles nor light of the

sun. It is upon their foundation that we have builded and it is

by virtue of their sacrifices that we are what we are.

But great as was the yesterday of our Church t it ought to be

far greater tomorrow. We have a plant that is the equal if not

.the superior for all practical purposes of any to be found in the

But in the building of an institution such as ours t there has,.' ..•.. ''''·f',,''''. "'ci:':i.\"';lit>0~.,_·~

Our church was repai.red and seating caj>a- . "."".~

sponsible calculated that it could be paid for by certain annual pay­

ments, but that to pay for it all at once would be next to impossible.

I think their judgment was wise. It ought not to surprise you, there-

position in that city as does our own church.

oity cQubled. A oommodius plant was built to·take care of our Sun­

l1ay School. This was done almost entirely on a credit. Those re-

South. We ha.ve buildednmt only for today but for tomorrow. The

wisdom of those wl;1o so builded i.s seen in the fact that our Sunday

School is almost twice as large as it was two years ago. I do not

. know of anyther church in any city that occupies so commanding a t

fore, when I tell you that you are expected to pay the present year

the sum of $31,320.00 for our indebtedness on Church property. Fur-

thermore, it ought to be your pleasure to have a part in the paying

of this debt. It is a permanent investment. It gives you # privilege

to have a part in the instructing of children and the building up of

men and women in Christ. It gives you the privilege of making a con-

tribution t~.t will be doing business for God in this city when you

have been dead for many years.

In addition to the above amount we are spending the present year

7 -4-

$13,439.00 on benevolences. This includes our contribution to

the missionary enterprises of the church. It also looks to the

doing of needy and necessary missionary work in our own city. Both

these calls ought to lie heavily upon our hearts. The command of

Christ to preach the gospel to every creature is just as bindingt;r.

today as it was when it was ut tered em~e man who declares he

believes in home missions and not in foreighis only having the

audacity to differ with ~hrist himself. Then we are spending this

year the sum of $35,806.00 for the maintenance of our church. To

this is added something over $4000.00 of back dUES. Now those of

you who are acquainted with other churches will realize that the

maintenance ~~qnd that we are paying is by no means unreasonable

0.1:' heavy. In fact i t wa~ldb~ hard to find any church that is

~~~i{It1{!i~~~.;;:;,~.~A~.Q,J;:,e-,~C QlloPJ,j.,C. basis •

I go into this in some detail, in order that every member may

~now exactly what we are doing. This church is yours not mine. It

will be doing business here and you will doubtless belong to it after

I am gone. I state this for a reason, and that is to stop so far as

possible the mouths of those few who have a tendency to complain.

There is always one here and there who is eager to find some excuse

for his stinginess. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that

First Church is altogether free from these.~ ..U-.c

There are those for instance who do not pay becauseaf ~ bad

business method of those in authority. My answer to that is that

from henceforth the business policy of our church is to be shaped

by Mr. storey, who is an expert in his field, and a man who com-

mauds universal respect and confidence.

Then. there are those who complain for the high- salaries paid

certain employees. Our salary bu.dget is $23,000.00. There are ten

;'.~\

j..~

jI

I!

Only one thing is necessary to b~img

weThat is this, tbat/be scrip~ural

-5-

III

on one occasion Christ sat over against the Treasurer. He is always

money. Every opportunity to give is a kind of judgment day. Christ

is present this day, infinitely interested·in the pledges that we

what we do. The Bible has instructions about the matter of giving.

there. He is always profoundly interested in what we do with our

It does not hesitate to speak out on money matters. We read that

How are we to meet this budget of more than $85,OOO.OO~ It

can be met. It can be met with an ease and with a joy that will

be a surprise to all of us.

couma make by going elsewhere.

employees being paid ou t of this amount. The maj ori ty of it is

being paid to the Eusiness Manager, the Choir Director, and Pastor.

fair to say that as large as the salarie s may s eern, the re is not

one of these who has not refused a raise from 25 to 50% that they

this happy consummation to pass.our

"ill ~.~Vip.g.

'They appreciate the liberality of the Board, but we feel it only

1

,.J.i;'~~

'"'""'C'~_,~~~'~~'j~1,.~~'':';~~!~'l.,~;.~~b~,~;.,~ians.. We,.axe Or.thodGx. i";~~~~~;~_FI~~

believe the B).bJ..efrom cover to cover. Let us prove our faith by 1

rrmake to His Church. How are we to give?

1. Individual~y. That is the Bible rule. -Let everyone of

you lay by him in store on the first day of the week as the Lord bath

prospered him.- That is, giving is an individual business. It is

a universal obligation. It is a privilege that is open to every~ody.

Even if you are kept up by·charity, you ought to give some part of

your income. for the up building of the Kingdom of God.

-6-

I say this in the first place because I know the tendency

we have to give nothing simply because we can give only a small

sum. :But it i.s not the amount that counts with God. It is the

spirit. DHe that is unfaithful in that which is least, is unfaith-

ful also in much.- The largest offering ever made was only two

fifths of a cent. There is not a member in First Church that

cannot give more than that every Sunday. So giving is a task

and a privilege~ everyone.

2. We are to give proportionately. The New Testament di-

rection is this, "As the Lord has prospered you. D That is, give~ ~.

the Lord has left us without a plan, because none other is

ever mentioned.

The plan is fair and just. Give as you have prospered. Noth-

ing could be more reasonable. It is fair to the poorest, it is also

fair to the richest. We have been accustomed to excuse our financial

embarrassment by bewailing our poverty, but it is far easier to get

the poor to tithe than it is the rich. As our wealth begins to in­

crea.se, our~ tends to get so larg that we cannot tear ourselves

loose from it.

3. We are to give systematical~y. To be systematic in your

g1x1ng is soriptural. It is also good business. It is only by sys-

tematic giving that people who live on salaries can pay with any

degree of ease what they ought to pay. It is only by giving sys­

. tematieally that. we can render our beat services to the Kingdom of

God and receive from Him the r~chest results of our giving.

·1

-1-

VlheIil you cou.ld

money for missions and force your Mission Board

That is only right and natural. What right have you to

church and run it into debt? What right have you to.

What is His commandment? -Honor the Lord with thy substance~

with the .first fruits of thine increase.- That is",bills are to

4. We a.re to give promptly. That is when due. It is a great

er than all the gifts that were cast into the treasury. The shadow

tbe very last'i

6. We are to give sacrificially. That waw what w~de the gift

of Mary 60 beautiful. That is what made the gift of the widow great-

tion of receiving an aequate return? The Lord longs that we give

willingly, gladly, hilariously.

given unwillingly'i Vlho appreciates one that is given in expecta-

•thing to meet your obligations when they come due. Most of you take

pride in meeting your obligations to tne grocer and the butcher and

to the dry-goods men when they come due. How about God's bills? Do

you give them the same consideration or do you keep Gdd waiting to

-We do not love any other kind. Who appreciates a present that is

,{ltd. - 1 IJ5•. We are to give c~eerfully.· )fGrudgingly/ nor" necessit~ ~-.

, of a ready mind, for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.~ So do we.

of the croB'S was upon it. Of all the gifts that our Lord receives

there is none that is so fragrant and brings such joy to his heart

as those gifts we make that are s~ned with the sweat and the blood

of sacrifice.

IV

Such giving would bring to us anew conscien~iousness of our

~d if every guiltyl!ing about money matters.

be the ,outcome of such giV:!,l1g? First ,by so doing,

eave ourselves from those sins born of too great love of

be over taken r.oc! like fate today, there would be many a fUIl:'-'. r

y~u want '0 enjoy your church, if you want to feel for it and for

for lIischurch. The reason many Of~S don' t~!Jle

iEf bec~Bewe put so litt~e :into it. It is a,.. ,•.~ ......, < .":<..<""".,-

\Vb~c1i,c.:,&~,,: :a~c ~};flee:- .tbG1 t.we,+.o~e ..':~~.~~:_'., ". 7:~-::"; :;:;:.:_'~:'".,:". "', -,::, ."-:>-->~~ ~,:,:~::-,~ ;\"~:,,:-:-_:::: <:.~'~;":"::;~L ":~3t~~:;~:;: ;,~;<,~.:', ~":;::~D,:~'-~>' -:;.'

of living water. Such consecration would indeed be"fair as the morn- ~

iag and bright as the sun and terrible as an army with banner~."

Such givtng will setua free from the bondage of coveteous­

~~s. It willes-veua fro-m tbe sin of lyi!tg.~Wben we entered the

";cjwe promis,ed that ,we-w;uld sup~~rt i~S :nstitutions. When we.~

,1 to do so, we belve brokenbnr vow to Almighty God. Aftsaail:u!was

:~:./.jp~'Lord, a love that you have never fel t,give sacrificially.\ ..c: L''''''''''(l;','':' _c, "'. ~ ,

,

3. Such giving would enable us to go forward with our program.

It would make possible the fellowship of Uhrist in a fuller and more

wonderful ,way. Not only wmald our church be spiritually enriched

but from her revived and replenished life there would flow streams

,'1

, ,'~

'1'

.'

-'> .......'

,1

-iBDI !ft OW

Isa1ah 51':8

, ,, .

'.

PAR! I.

Now there are certain good reasons wh7 everyone of us should

make it his purpose to listen to G04.

~1nolin. your ea~.n »01f**t translates this teat. -Listen

to me.· fhua it beoomes an expr.ssion that is very oommon in the lan­

IUS' of today_ Some of ·us use it "bi·tual17. Others of us use it

when we wish to giv. emphasiSe It is an expression that oarries at OBoe

an app••1 and also authority. ~ow you listen to me,- a mother say~

- ~

to her daughter who tends to be a little too flapperish for oomfort.

"I J[~o. Whereof I speak. I have traveled the road that you are travel..

illS_ I oan save you a bit of heartaohe if you will allow me. n -Liste.

t, •. " 'hUS it is that our Lord oondesoends to speak our languate~to

allP.al to us for our attention.

1. W. ought to listen to Him because of who Re'is. If one were

to tell the President of the United state. tonight that I was oalling

him over long-distanoe he might stop to inquire as to who I am. and I

would doubtless bav. some diffioulty in getting his ear. But if wort

w.re to OO~ tbat he were seeking to establish communioation b.tween

himself and myself. I shoUld probably respond very readily. I should

40 so beoause of who ~e i8, beoause of his position of ohief exeoutive

oommands oonsideration and respeot. But tbe one who is undertaking to

get into oommunioation with you ia _ eternal (rod in Whose hand your

'breath is and whose are all your ways.

Peop~e of oulture and good traiDing listen while another is

-2-

"LISTEN TO ME"

speaking out of 0 ourtesy if for no other reason. If you and I were'

engaged in conversation you would listen to what I say even though

you do not find me very interesting. There is only one time when we

have the right to talk whan some one else is speaking. That is when

we are in a heated argument. People who argue often get angry. and

getting angry it beoomes a contest as to who can speak the louder and

the more rapidly. But everyone who listens out of oourtesy. how much

more should we show this courtesy to Him who has created us and redeemed

us by His own preoious blood.

2. We ought to listen to God beoause if we do not listen we are

not likely to hear. To truly hear anything you must give attention.

!hat is the reason that at lease one of the most important tasks of the

preacher is to get the attention of his audienoe. The most worthWhile

sermon ever preaohed is absolutely worthless to the man who does not

hear. What I say tonight maybe as true as the Truth but if I do not

kif ' ..-t

get your attention both your time and mine is wasted. Any speaker who

helps his audienoe must first get the attention of his audienoe. and

God is no e%oeption to that rule. He must get your attention or He

oannot speak to you in such a way as to help.

Now getting the attention in a busy and hurried and rushing.,

day like ours is not altogether easy. Many of us are tired. Many of

us have shooked ourselves With this sensation and that till we have

in a large measure lost our oapaoity to thrill. Some have lost their

taste for anything that does not smaok of the sensational. It is diffioult

for God to get our attention beoause we are so hurried. we are so rest.

les8. we are so absorbed. Our time is 80 taken up with a thousand and

J

one usefl11 or lISeless things that we have little ear otten times either

for the voice of God or God's messenger.

Then it i8 easy tor some ot us to tail to hear God's voioe

because ot His manner of speeoh. God does not shreek at us. He does

not shout. "Be shall not strive nor ory." said the prophet ot old.

You remember how Eli~ah stood in the mouth ot the oave to hear the voioe

ot God. First there was a mighty wind. Then the stern pro»het ot iron

telt that surely God was speaking in this power that was uprooting the

giants of the torrest. But God WBS not in the wind. Then there was an

earthquake and the mountains reeled and staggered like drunken men.

This too ohimed With the prephet's oonoeption of God. but God was not

in t~e earthquake. Then the lightning leaped trom crag to orag and from

bowlder to bowlderr. Surely this is God's Toioe thought the prophet. but

God was not in the fire. Then there came a voioe ot gentle. stillness

and 10. it was God'S voioe.

It is so that God speaks today. It is as a still small voice.

The mighty foroes are ever the quiet foroes. Ihat a power is the power

ot growth: But it neTer shreeka. How strong is gravitation: It holds#or- .". ."...\

the planets in its 1'~iBg tingers. But it never shouts or ories aloud.

God speaks softly. It you are waiting for a thunderous noise betore

you give attention. then you will doubtless wait forever. God speaks

soft11. If you do not give attention you might fail to fUlly understand.

Then we need to listen in order to recognize the voice that

speaks to us. There are times when we mistake a voioe that is ot the

earth earthly for the voioe divine. We seldom do this. however. unless

we have tritled with our oracle, and tampered with our conscience. We

mistake beoause the lower voioe counsels us to do the thing that we

l

really want to do. There is a queer story in the Old Testament, of a

young prophet that was commanded ~o prophesy against Jeroboam. He was

to utter his prophesy and return home at onae by a different road from

that 'by whioh he had C1)me. He was well on his way baok home when an

older prophet invited him to eat bread at his house. And when the

younger man told him of his orders from the Lord, the older prophet

sai4 that the Lord had given him oontrary orqers. So the young man

went baok and. in doing so he wrought his ruin.

But while we may mistake the voice of our selfish inclinations

for the voice of the Highest, our more common blunder is to mistake the

voioe of God for some oommon-place voioe of lower origin. Why did you

feel so miserable· and mean when you were guilty of some ugly piece of

behaTior' You explained it as a result of the striot teaching that you

had had at home, and that is true in some measure, but it is truer still

to say that God was speaking to you thru your outraged oonsoienoe. God

waa reproving you and seeking to win you baok from a pathway that oould

only mean ruin.

Why do you find yourself restless and disoontent in spite of

the faot that you attend the gayest parties? Why in apite of the fact

that you have made a fortune do you still feel that there is a lack. a

hidden want that you have not yet derived' That was God speaking to

you. That is the infinite Christ saying, ·0 heart I have need of you

for myself and you will never find rest until you have found it in me.·

What lies baok of that unuttered prayer that was in your heart

as you oame to God's house tonight? Why do you find yourself in an

hour like this, despising the man that you are and dreaming of the better

-po;:',....-.,---- -----

-5-

and bigger man that you might be~ You are being disturbed by the whis­

perings of the infinite God. Do not mistaKe His voioe. You remember

that voioe that oame to Jesus in answer to His prayer. "Glorify thou

me. D and God answered. wI haTe glorified thee and will glorify thee

again. " But those tha t heard never dreamed that they had heard the

voioe of God. '.rhe best of them said it an anfle. The orowd only

shrugged and said it thundered. Only the attentive ear of Jesus reoog­

nized it as the voioe of God.

S. linally we ought to listen to the voice of God beoause he is

speaking espeoially to ourselves. Those to whom he is speaking here are

people just such as we are. Who are they?

(1) They were thirsty people. 0 that everyone were thirsty.

That includes everyone present. That includes every soul in the world.

There is not one of us who is not thirsty. When the Psalmist said.

nAs the hart panteth after the water brooks. so panteth my soul after

thee. 0 God," he was .peaking the language that is absolutely universal.

This is certainly the longing of the aaints4 It is also the longing of

those who are not saints. The only difference between the saints and

the sinner in this respect is that the ERint mows that for whioh he

thirsts and the sinner often times fail to understand. but tbey are

both thirsting for God.

(2; God is speaking to the hungry. To those who have some how

missed that which is needed to nourish life. He is speaking to people

Who laok the bare necessities. bread and milk. !heywere spending for

these tbings. but some how the oommodities they paid for were never

delivered. !hey were people also tor whom life had lost its thrill.

if',

The wine had given out. The glow had gone out of the airy. The a eng

had gone out of the heart, !hey had famished for food. They were

starving for that whioh oould bring the sparkle and the song and the

thrill and the life.

(3) He was speaking to the poverty strioken. To those who had no

money. And I suppose it would be needless for me to enter into an argu­

ment to prove that you and I are bankru»t so far 8S our possession of

any moral wealth. We haven't a thing of worth to offer for the purchase

of our pardon. It matters not how decent .e 8re. how moral and respect-

able, this is a song that befits all of our lips.

'-Just as I am. without one plea.But tha t !by blood was a bed for me,And that thou bidst me aome to !hee,o Lamb of Go4. I oome. II

A mea sage for the pennyless. for the moral empoverished. that

is a message for you and me. And tlBnk God, that is the message of this

whole ohapter and this Whole book. It is said that a little ohap onoe

looked eagerly and hungrily at some grapes that were growing in the

royal hot houses of Sweeden. His mother was siok and was eager for some

fruit. He asked the keeper to sell him a bunoh of grapes, offering him

all that he, had, but the keeper rebuffed him. :But it so happened that

the Prinoe overheard. Be cut him the ahoicest cluster and put them into

his eager hands and When the lad offered to pay, he aaid kindly, lIN0,

my father is not a marchant who sells. he is the King who gives." And

that is the gospel for you and me.

PART II.

Bow what is ih that God is saying to this thirsty and hungry and

I' i

"LISTEN TOME n

penn7less orowd of which you and I are a part?

1. He tells us very frankly and to our facee that we are being

dubbed. He tells us bha t .e are being aheated. There is amament not

unmixed with heartache and disappointment in his question. "Wherefore

do 70U spend mone7 for that which is not bread and 70ur labor fat that

whioh aatisfieth not." Wh7.indeed? The On17 answer seems to be that

of the showman. -We love to be humbugged." We seem to 'alight in being

cheated. People allover the land today are spending endless mone7

and what is infinite17 more tragic they are spending the best 7ears of

their lives and the very treasure of their souJ.. And what are they

getting in return? ~leeting and unsatisf7ing laughter. disillusioned

hearts and tear-wet faoes.

2. But he does more t Lan rebuke. He gives us the wa7 out of our

diffioult7. "Listen tome." "Come unto me." If you will oame He

promises life. He promises life that really satisfies. He promises

life that has a real tang in it. "Thrill." He says. "ofer the first

fruit." Everybod7 w.nts a thrill. !~is a God-given hatred of

monotony in every heset. We do not want a treadmill life. We do not

wish to travel the whole road on a dul~ drab. monotonous level. We want

to dip down into the 0001 waters of the oan70DS depths. We want the

thrill of the mountain olimb. How are we to realize this longing? Net

b7 spending our mone7 'or that whioh is not bread. Not in a way that

leaves us with ill head and an aohing heart. "Be not drunk with wine

wherein is riot but be filled with the spirit." That is God's way and

is a wa7 open to ever 7 one of us.

.......- -.

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PART III

But it is not only needful that we listen to God's voioe.

It is not only necessary that we understand that He is speaking to us

and what He is speakJng to us. There is another step. If we are to

oome to our best and if He is to realize the ~eat dream that He has

dreamed for us, having listened and haVing understood we must respond.

If we fail to take this final step then all Hia efforts on our behalf

have gone for naked nothing.

Now it is altogether possible to hear God's voioe and reoog­

nize it as God's voice and refuse to obey. Millions have been gUilty

of that tragic folly. Ney, it is safe to say that everyone of us has

at times been guilty. It is safe to say that all of us at times have

been guilty. Some have been guilty so often and so long that the voioe

has grown dim and distant. The message that onoe was olear and disturb­

ing is hardly recognizable now. I know of nothing that is more soaked

in the tears of utter tragedy than to have disregarded the voioe of

God till it has grown silent beoause we have lost our oapaoity to hear.

I know of no finer ward that we could take upon our lips than those of

the great apostle that said, "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly

vision. D

To those who yet have ears to hear, God is speaking now. This

is His appeal. ·Seek ye the Lord while H~ may be found, Gall ye upon

Him while He is near~ Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unright­

eous man his thought'land let him return unto the Lord and He will have

mercy upon him:, au! to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.- There

id a time when He may be found. There is a time when He may not be found.

ex

'I '"'/ '~s :It

J

"LISTEN TO ME"

!mre i8 a time when He is near. !here 18 a t1me when. 80 far as your

own powers to peroeive Him are conoerned. He is far away. The t1me

that He may be found is now. the plaoe wmre He may be found is here.

-Bow 18 the aooepted time. today is the day of salvation.-

. DlJD DOGS.

Isaiah 56:10

~ watohmen -.- are all dumb dogs, they oannot bark."4:-The Bible is GBe af 'ae plain speaking bookf. At times it

seems shookingly and offensively so. It uses language that we tend to

resent. Without hesitation we read on even though we feel offended ant

affronted and positively insulted. Here, for instanoe, it oompares a

oertain group of individuals with dogs and they are not a high olass

type of dogs at that. They are dumb dogs•. Dobs fit for nothing but

eating and sleeping and serving in the plaoe of a ohild to some family

to whom ohildren are objeotionable.

PART I.

Who are these that are thus harshly rebuked? They are God's

watohmen. They are folks set to do sentinel duty. There are people

whose business it is to sal1t the earth. There are those who have

been oalled to stand in the gap. There u.e men whose high offioe it

is to be as a shelter from the wind and a -oovering from the tempest,~$-(--'.'~

as rivers of water in a dry place, as the ah9~er of a great rook in a

weary land. They are to render a servioe to the individual and to

society oomparable to that rendered by a faithful and oourageous watoh

dog.

And who are these \\ho have upon thair shoulders this h~gh

and .eighty responsibility.

1. God is here speaking especially of his servants, the pr~hets.

They are in a peculiar sense watchman. they have been called, in the

language of Ezekieli to hear the words at the lips of God and warn men ._

-2-

Dumb Dogs/

from Him. !hey are sentinels upon the walls whose duty it is to watoh

for the approaoh of the enemy. They are to have a sharp eye for any­

thing that will hurt. They are to speak pointedly and p~in+y of the

enemyl s approaoh onoe he has been diso overed. (., ,~c"cI(;/

This, as I understand it, has been the funotion of Godls

ministers thru the oenturies. It is their funotion today. The preach­

ers of the gospel have upon their shoulders responsibilities of moral

and spiritual leadership. It is not theirs to follow the crOWd. It

is not theirs to be swayed by publio opinion. It is not theirs to look

to men for guidanoe and direotion. It is not theirs to take orders from

men. It is theirs to be God's spokesmen. ~hey are to defend the right

as God gives them to see the right, in utter aoorn of oonsequenoe.

2. But this responsibility does not belong exclusively to the

preaoher. It is shared by all who know the Lord. It is the duty of

parents. It is your solemn responsibility to be the proteotor of your

home. You are to see to it that nothing prosses its threshold that

would mar and blight and destroy. You are to be the protectors of your

ohildren. The y oame to you as pure as the dawdrop on the lip~ of the

rose. You are to seek to keep them pure by the graoe of God.

And this, mark 1.0u, is a responsibility that is personal and

that is individual. You oannot shirk your own child. You cannot put

your responsibility on others shoulders. There are thousands trying

to do that to4ay to the great hurt both of themselves and of their

ohildren. David tried the same tragic experiment. He oonvinoed himself

that Absolom would be safe in the hands of his favorite general. But

listen to that wild heartbreaking ory that oomes to us aoross the far

Dumb Dogs.

spaces of the years. "Oh Absolom. my son. would "God I had ,died for

thee." It is the wail of a man who shirked his own responsibility.

It is the duty that belongs also to every Sunday School

teacher. Those that oDme to your classes are entitled to leadership

and teaching at the hands of one faithful to the Lord Jesus. You

especially who teach boys and girls have them at the most impressionable

period of their lives. Remember there is no substitute for winning

them to Jesus Christ. You are their watchman. You are to warn them ~the saving not only of their sault but of their lives. It is possible

that their best chanoe at God will cane thru you. If you throwaway

your opportunity it may mean utter loss.

This is the duty of every office bearer of the Church. It is

the duty of every member of the Church. Nay more, it is the duty of

every man and woman born into the world. God has given to everyone

his w~k. Believe me. He has not sent any of us to despoil. We are nO'

here to tear down. We are not here to lower the moral temperature of

the world. It is every man's duty to help. It is every man's duty to

aot as saVing salt for the world of whioh he is a part.

PART II.

Now what was wr'ong with these watchmen., What harm were they

doing" Answer. no positive harm at all. They are not oompared to

vioious dogs. They are not dogs that snap and snarl. They haven't

seized anybody by the throat. The whole fault lies not in what they

have done. but in what they have failed to do. ~he duty of the dog is

to guard his master and his master's household. The duty of these

prophets was to do guard dut1 for God and for the individual and for

Dwnb Dogs •

.~ sooiety. They had done no positive wr~ng. They had said nothing

they ought not to be said. The tragedy of it 1s that they bad not

said anything at all.

Theirs is an old story. The secret of the failure of most

of us does not grow out of the faot that we are living lives that are

positively vioious and wioked. it is rather in the faot that we are

failing in our duty to God and man. Almost every warning that our

Lord ever uttered was against the sins Dot of commission but of omission.AA..e...

jDd all Ris parables of judgment and oondemnation~ pronounoed upon

men not for some glaring sin oommitted but for duties neglected. His

sentenoe is not "Inasmuch as you have done thi~ UBtlO II' :i go away. n

But rather. "Inasmuch as you did it not.-

What must I do to be saved? There is something to be done.

I must oommit my life to Jesus Christ. Having enlisted. I must fight

the fight to the end of the journey. But What must I do to be lost!

Answer. nothing. All that is neoessary for me to lio in order to be

lost today and tomorrow and forever is just to do nothing. Bea~naked

nothing.

PART 1'11_

Why were these prophets silent? Why were they like dogs

that oould not bark? I am going to mention four reasons. They were

reasons that were pressing then as they are pressing today. They are

reasons that have kept me silent many times. fhey are reasons that

have struok you With dumbness. There is not a man listening to me

that has not one time or another been brought under that influenoe.

j

!l'-~-.'-~"--~- ------

Dumb Dogs.

-5-

~---~~~~-- - -

1. Disoouragement. Sometimes we lapse into silenoe because to

apeak seems so utterl~ useless. There are individuals in every oommu­

nity that are regarded by good people as hopeless. Possibly some of

them are. We never know. We meet them day by day and pass them by

without even a word of invitation or of warning simply because we have

despaired of them. We say, "it will do no good." Or we stand in the

faoe of a moral issue where the orowd seems against us. Again we say,

"to protest is hopeless."

But it is wall to bear in mind that it is not your duty to

win out in every oonflict into which you enter. It is not your duty

to win every man to whom you speak. "If you see the sword coming,"~

aaid the prophet, "give warning and the man whom you warn perishes by

~he sword, his blood will be upon his own head." That is, it is not

my bus iness nOIl ...... i+= )JeRI'S to oompel any man to aocept my convictions.

It is not my duty to compel any man to be a Uhrist1an. My duty is this,

in the fear and love of God I am to warn, I am to invite. Having done

this the responsibility rests no longer upon my sbDulder~but upon the

shoulders of Rim who has received the warning and heard the invitation.

Therefore. we are to speak right on whether, men hear or whether they

refuse to hear.

2. The second reason Why these prophets were silent was because

they were spiritually asleep. "They lie," said God thru Isaiah,

"adreaming in the sleep they love." ~ watch dog who remains sleeping

is mighty useless. A burgular might pick a lock right over his sleep­

ing body and might plunge a dager into the heart of his master and he

be all unconsoious that anything had happened.

'1'1"-~

-6-

Dumb Dogs.

And sometimes Christian ministers and sometimes whole Bhurohes

seem to be asleep. They are insensible to danger. Their treasures

are stolen and they know it not. Fathers and mothers allow their

children to slip thru their fingers while t~e~ remain blistfully un­

conscious that anything is wrong. They allow themselves to lose their

grip on God thru sheer spiritual drowsyness. In Bunyan's immortal

allegory one of the most dangerous points on the road from the City

of Destruction to Mount Zion was the enohanted ground. And the danger

of the enohanted ground was that those pasKing thru it tended to be

overoome by sleep. And beoause our Lord knew this tendenoy He said

over and over again "Watoh" and what I say Wlto you is ".toh.

'( I was asleep. )

3. The third reason for silenoe was indifferenoe growing out of

absorption in other things. These prophets were too much interested

in other matters. There are many today. both preaohers and laymen~

who are so busy doing a thousand and one things that they forget to do

the supreme thing. . ,_ . ,[ , -f I,~~,.!. (../,..., '.(" ,. 6.'t~,t,··".! L~(1

(1) Some of them were absorbed in pleasure. ~hey were trying so I

hard to amuse themselves that they did not have time to be watohing.

They were pleasure mad. But if Isaiah were to oome back to the wormd

in this twentieth oentury and int 0 the city of Memphis. I am sure he

would find the situation qUite as bad as the day he witnessed in

Jerusalem. No generation I thinS has ever tried harder to amuse itself

than we have. Henoe many of us have grown very bored and very tired.

e2) Then some of them were too absorbed in b us mess. They simply

"..-:-- -----

Dmnb Dogs.

---------------~.._---

-7-

did not have time. They got up too late for morning prayer and got

home too late for evening prayer. They worked so hard during the week

that they were too tired for Sunday School and Church on Sundays. The

prayer meeting had never even been considered. They had no time for

prayer. No time for a personal word of warning or invitation to their

friends.

It is said that two ships made by rival companies were raching

from Liverpool to Amerioa. A watchman on the leading vessel shouted

down to her captain "a man overboard." Her captain looked in near the

shiP. saw nobody. ftWhere?" "Far to the windward." The captain looked

thru his glasses and could see the man frantically waiving a bit of

'oloth. "Shall I order a life boat to be lowered?" said the second

offioer. "Bo." came the reply. "If we save him we will lose the race."

And soon the ship moved on and the man was left to his fate.

4. The final reason for the silence of these watchmen was fear.

Fear has put you am me to silenoe many times. The fear of being pecu­

liar; the fear of thsamile. the fear of ridicule. the fear of being

oalled a fanatic, the fear of oritioism. What a dreadful foe 1s fear:

No wonder the wise man said. "Fear of man ~ringeth a snare."

I wonder how many lost men there are in Memphis tonight who

would be active servants of God but for your cowardice and mine., I

wonder how many of our children are away from God who would now be

with us in His house but for the fact that we have let a certain timidit7

and a certain kind of fear stop our mouths and prevent our saying the"~

word that ought to be said. There are times when it takes courage to

speak out. It 0 ClEtt the braving of the fiery furnace for the Hebre.

,'i" .,. ---

-8-

Dumb Dogs.

ohildren. John the Baptist might have eaten dainty food out of the

dish that held his head if he had only been willing to keep his mouth

shut on a touohyquestion. Bot a few faithful dogs have reoeived

knocks instead of pats, just far barking at the wrong time. I could

utter ten sentenoes at this moment that would oause me to be patted

by ten t~usand handa tomorrow as the news got out in the different

news papers in the land. But for the fact that I believe it is part

of the duty of a watchman to speak.

PART IV.

What is the tragedy of this silence1 It is twofold.

1. It endangers others. I oannot fail to be loyal to the gospel

that I have been oalled to preaoy without endangering you. You oannot

fail without endangering somebody. This gospel is a life and death 1matter. The prophet said. "If you give no warning those that might

have been saved will die in their sin. I wonder if there is a man out

in eternity wi thout God that would have no t been there but for my

unfaithfulness. I wonder if there has been one that has been wrecked

by your unfaithfulness. My silence and disloyalty end@ngers others.

To fail to bear my testimony. to f'ail to speak as God oalls

me to speak means oertain ruin for myself. There is nothing for the

barren fig tree but to be hewn dawnl ~very branch that baareth not

fruit is taken away." When the High Sheriff of heaven sets out to

arrest those that are guilty of the orime oommitted on the Highway that

leads fitan Jerusalem to Jerioo. he is going to bring in the ruffians th~t

robbed him and all but murdered him. but he is also going to arrest the

~{;i

I,

-8..

Dumb Dogs.

You oan no more dodge that responsibility than ymu oan dodge the

faot of God.

If I see you go down the road where a oharge of dynamite

is to be exploded and do not warn you and you are killed. I am gUilty

of your blood. If I see you exposed to a danger from whioh I might

sa1(e you and you are lost. I am also guilty. When the titanio went

down one man. Bruce Ismey~ esoaped in the life boat with a bunoh of

women. He was p~t owner of the great vessel. It was his right in a

way. but when he went baok to New York every man despised him. Today

he lives in a oastle 1n a rural seotion of Ireland and I am told that

the peasants as they Pass by spit on .is gate in oontempt.

I do not want to go up to life's other side like.that.

I am not asking to go up ttnmarked and unscared. At the World's Fair

in Chioago there were a number of lifeboats. They were beautifulmore

for the most part. One was ugly and battered yet it drew .. attention

than all the others put together. It was the one in which Grace

Darling went to the resoue of a little handful of ship-wrecked sailors.

She went at the risk of her own life. And so must we go for to save

our lives is to lose them. but to lose them is to keep them unto life

eternal.